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Aston Villa fans react as club linked with move for James McCarthy
Aston Villa fans have been giving their takes on reports linking the club with a move for Crystal Palace star James McCarthy.
that the Midlands club are lining up a £5 million move for the midfielder, who was practically an ever-present for the Eagles in 2019/20.
The 29-year-old joined Palace in the summer of 2019 from Everton after struggling to re-establish himself for the Toffees after his horrific leg break in January 2018.
The Republic of Ireland international has seemingly emerged as a transfer target for Dean Smith, whose side preserved their Premier League status on the final day with a 1-1 draw with West Ham United.
The Mail say Villa will take a more relaxed approach to their policy on signing players over the age of 28, with McCarthy someone who can come in and provide experience.
The player has a year remaining on his contract, meaning there could be slight pressure on Palace to retain him for 2020/21 if they so desired.
Villa would like to hope that any deal for McCarthy would prove more successful than the loan move for Danny Drinkwater.
The Chelsea man struggled to make much of an impact after joining in January, and is unlikely to return to Villa Park for a second stint.
On the whole, Villa fans on social media see the idea of signing McCarthy as relatively low-risk:
He’s a good player and a good buy at 5m. He won’t be the last addition into that midfield but he’ll be a good one.
— Aston Villa Rise (@aston_rise)
I’d quite like that, he just needs a run without injuries to show his quality again. We were light on midfielders so we signed Drinkwater on loan surely this would be an upgrade
— Sam Harrison (@Shy_Rhy)
Was cracking at Everton – hasn’t quite made it in a misfiring Palace team. For £5m it’s a no brained. Whelan esc!
— [ Jake ] (@villamma)
James McCarthy would be a very good signing to add depth and options to the midfield. I wanted him before he went to Everton. Very tidy little player.
— Phil Roberts (@iamVilla)
£5m for James McCarthy would be seriously good value for a very good player
Is it a position that is priority for Villa to strengthen this summer though? Probably not being honest. Villa have both Luiz & Nakamba for the DM role
Wingers and strikers are priority imo
— RossaC (@rossac25)
McCarthy would be a smart signing. He is experienced, good, and doesn’t cost 30mil. He has possibly 3 years of top flight football in him. Would be a nice addition.
— Aston Villa Rise (@aston_rise)
Some villa fans I think have unrealistic expectations of who we can get. McCarthy was a decent squad player for a team who finished comfortably ahead of us this season. 5 million for him would be a pretty decent price I reckon.
— Winston Smith (@SmithWin2020)