Paul Robinson says Villa should sign Bissouma

Despite having Marvelous Nakamba and Morgan Sanson at their disposal, Aston Villa tried to sign a defensive-midfielder in January and were unsuccessful. The Midlands outfit were linked with Boubacar Kamara and Yves Bissouma last month but made little progress with either man.

Paul Robinson says they shouldn’t give up on Bissouma, however, as he’s a ‘top player’. He told Football Insider: “Bissouma is the one. He is a top player. I think he will go on to play at the top level. It would be a real coup to get Bissouma and it sounds like they could have got him in January. That would have been a great signing.

“I think there will be other suitors in the summer though. There will be bigger teams than Aston Villa looking at him. If Gerrard has earmarked the player and feels he can get him, he could make a real difference for them next season.” Bissouma joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a five-year deal from LOSC Lille and has gone on to make 115 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals with two assists.

The Malian international has impressed for Brighton, showing himself to be adept at turning over possession while having the dribbling ability to turn defence into attack with lung-busting runs from deep. Bissouma also has some creativity and creates opportunities for his teammates, so he’s likely to get picked up over the summer.

Villa convinced Philippe Coutinho to join in January, so they have a lot of clout in the transfer market thanks to Steven Gerrard, but Bissouma’s asking price might be a stumbling block – the 25-year-old will cost clubs £50m at the end of the season.

In other news, Gabriel Agbonlahor says Kortney Hause has fallen down pecking order