One of Tim Sherwood’s many signings at Aston Villa ahead of what was their last season in the Premier League to date, Jordan Veretout, while not awful, struggled to have a huge impact at Villa Park.
Unable to help the Villains from getting relegated to the Championship, the French midfielder jumped ship the next summer, going on loan to Saint-Etienne in France, where he enjoyed a solid campaign.
So much so, in fact, that they wanted to keep the former Aston Villa midfielder permanently, information that leaked to the press.
Speaking to Corriere Fiorentino, the 25-year-old recalled exactly what happened last summer.
He explained: “I practically said yes to Saint-Etienne, but when it came out, so many clubs tried to get me, and when I saw that Fiorentina was one of them, I realised they were the best solution for me.
“This is a club that speaks to me, it’s a historic club, a great team in the Italian league.”
Another reason he chose to go to the south of Europe was, in a horrible cliché, the English weather: “For a whole year I didn’t see the sun, and when you never see it…”
Either way, the former Aston Villa man is enjoying himself at his new club, quickly becoming indispensable to Stefano Pioli.
In 12 appearances, he has scored two goals and picked up an assist.
That’s two more than he managed at Aston Villa in 25 games. Perhaps the Florence sunshine, Tuscan food, and Serie A football is inspiring Veretout more than Steve Bruce could manage at Aston Villa.
