Aston Villa’s manager Remi Garde has confirmed that the Midlands club would like to sign Loic Remy from Chelsea on loan during the January transfer window.
Villa have endured an horrendous opening to their Premier League campaign, winning just one match and losing 13, including six of their last ten. They remain rooted firmly to the bottom of the league table, eleven points clear of safety and with the joint worst goal difference in the league.
Garde hasn’t given up hope, though, with the Frenchman keen to bring his compatriot in for the remainder of the season to give the Midlanders a fighting chance at staying up. He said, “Loic is special. He knows the country and league, and would be an interesting player for the team”.
Remy joined Chelsea for £10.5 million after he moved from Queen’s Park Rangers last year but has only started one Premier League game this season. He was originally hoping to sign for Liverpool and even travelled with the squad on their tour of the United States last summer only to fail his medical. His starts at Stamford Bridge have been limited this term because of injury, perhaps justifying the Merseyside club’s decision to pull the plug on a possible transfer.
The 28 year old has scored once in the Premier League for the defending champions and he also notched up two goals in the League Cup before Chelsea were knocked out by Stoke City. Whilst not exactly prolific, his form has been good enough for Guus Hiddink to take exception at Garde’s decision to speak publicly about his player. He said, “You have to respect where the players are. If you are interested, talk first to the people with whom they are contracted. You cannot go into details. The player has signed a contract here and must be fit for us. He’s having a difficult time regarding his injuries. He has to prove first of all that he’s a good Chelsea player. He has had a calf problem for several days”.
Garde knows Loic Remy from when both of them were at Lyon, with the current manager being the assistant manager at the Stade de Gerland when Remy started his career there. He knows that his countryman has the ability to stick the ball in the back of the net, something that Villa have failed to do too many times this campaign. They currently have 15 goals from 19 games, the lowest in the league.
Hiddink is aware that Chelsea aren’t in a much better position, sitting just three points away from the relegation zone in 14th place. He said, “We need all the players here until the end of the season. Chelsea are still in a position where we have to improve to get up the table, so we need all our players at the moment. So we don’t talk about the rumours”.
With the transfer window opening on the 2nd of January 2016 it won’t be long before we know what sort of moves all of the teams in the Premier League will be making in the market. Remi Garde may yet succeed in bringing Loic Remy to Villa Park, but whether the Frenchman will be able to save the club from relegation remains to be seen.