Henri Lansbury may be worried after Dean Smith transfer comments [Opinion]

Dean Smith previously played down talk of Aston Villa letting players leave in the winter transfer window, but he has since made a U-turn as Conor Hourihane has been loaned out to Swansea City.

In quotes reported by Birmingham Live, Smith said in his pre-match press conference ahead of the visit to Manchester City: “There’s the possibility of some outs as well.”

If there are more departures from Villa Park before the start of February, Henri Lansbury may be worried.

The 30-year-old joined the Claret and Blues on a four-year deal from Nottingham Forest in January 2017 and has gone on to make 53 appearances in all competitions, but he fell down the pecking order in his second season at Villa Park and hasn’t managed to nail down a regular starting place ever since.

Lansbury made 30 appearances across his first season-and-a-half at the club, but played just five times in 2018/19 and 15 games last term. Indeed, Smith left him out of the Premier League squad in October and tried to terminate his deal, so the midfielder has been surplus to requirements for some time.

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It remains to be seen which club is willing to match Lansbury’s £2m-a-year contract, but Villa appear to be stepping up their efforts to offload players, judging by Smith’s comments.

The 30-year-old recently £2m-a-year contract so he may be boosting his match fitness to attract a suitor, now that he knows his manager is open to trimming his squad this month.