Having arrived at Aston Villa on a loan deal from Barcelona last summer, Clément Lenglet initially struggled to have a prominent role under Unai Emery this season.
The centre-back had to wait until December to make his first league appearance. He’s made 13 Premier League appearances so far, but hasn’t featured in the last four league matches.
Speaking to Gianluca Di Marzio, the 28-year-old has revealed that he considered leaving Aston Villa in the January transfer window, after making contact with several clubs.
The report claims AC Milan were one of the teams that showed interest in the Frenchman and he has now opened the door to making a switch to Serie A in the future.
“I arrived on the last day of the market and had an injury after a week that kept me out for ten days. At the time the team was playing well and so it was not the time for Emery to change: I understand and accept that. Then unfortunately Pau Torres got injured and so it was my time to play,” he said.
“I wasn’t playing consistently and therefore I wanted to find a solution. My priority was to play and at that moment it wasn’t possible, so there were contacts with other clubs. Then I started playing and plans changed. But Serie A is a championship that I like.”
The former Sevilla man has also revealed that Emery called to convince him to join Aston Villa last summer.
“The fact that Emery called me was important in accepting the proposal. He’s very competitive, has great experience. He built a great project last season and we follow him every day. The club is very happy with his work – he’s one of the best coaches in the world,” Lenglet explained.
“Competing in the Premier League is never easy: when he arrived here Aston Villa were in 16th position, now we are fighting to get to the Champions League. His impact has been magnificent.”
The Frenchman’s focus is now to finish the season well with Aston Villa, who are in contention to finish in the top four and also win the UEFA Conference League. His future after that has to be clarified.
Lenglet hopes to be part of Didier Deschamps’ squad for the Euros but is aware that may be a long shot.
