Aston Villa’s hopes of an £8 million cash windfall appear to hang in the balance with one of the Premier League club’s forgotten men finding minutes hard to come by out on loan.
Nearly 12 months ago, a player who moved to Villa Park in a £13 million deal during the dying embers of the ill-fated Steven Gerrard era produced his finest display in claret-and-blue. But if that ferocious 3-0 hammering of Newcastle United was supposed to be the dawn of Leander Dendoncker’s Aston Villa career, then it’s clear now that it was little more than a false one.
Flash forward to March 2024, and the Belgian international is still stuck on just one league start throughout the current campaign. He left Villa for reigning Serie A champions Napoli in search of more regular game time in January but has actually played fewer minutes in Italy than he did under Unai Emery.
Difficult season for Aston Villa’s Leander Dendoncker
The former Wolves man has featured in just 21 out of a potential 810 minutes in Italy. And while Napoli retain an £8 million option-to-buy clause in Dendoncker’s contract, a handful of cameo appearances off the bench will not have the underperforming Partenopei rushing to turn a short-term deal into a permanent one.
“Of course, he would like to help (the team) more to achieve their goals, but these are the coach’s prerogatives,” Seraino Dalgliesh, Dendoncker’s representative, tells Radio CRC. “However, he remains positive and will use this break to work even harder and get more minutes in the final part of the season.
“We defend the Napoli choice. We don’t regret it. Of course, he would like to play more. However, this does not mean that Leander is discouraged or that he would not make this choice again.
“The boy remains calm. Not entirely satisfied, but very calm.”
Napoli sale hanging in the balance
Dendoncker has not been helped by the fact that Walter Mazzarri – the man who brought him to Naples – was sacked soon after the January window closed. Francesco Calzona, hired on an interim basis until the summer, has played Dendoncker only once since his appointment a month ago.
“Finishing Serie A in the best possible way is his immediate objective. Then, we will talk to the club at end of the season, and we’ll see if there are the conditions to continue,” the agent adds.
“The change of coach inevitably influenced Dendoncker’s playing time because, now, the coach who wanted him is not coaching Napoli.”
Dalgleish insists that Dendoncker is happy in Italy for the time being, and is enjoying living in Napoli. Fortunately for him, Calzona’s contract expires in a matter of weeks, though his hopes of a longer stay on Italian soil may depend on who ends up taking his place in the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona dugout.
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