The Athletic: NSWE were busy on deadline day; saw Villa move for 'ridiculous' £9.27m ace blocked

West Ham United blocked Darren Randolph from leaving on deadline day, with Aston Villa and Leeds United keen on the Irishman, according to The Athletic.

Villa were proactive in the January transfer window, adding four senior players to Steven Gerrard’s squad, one of which was goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

The club also tied down Emiliano Martinez to a new contract and ended up allowing Jed Steer to move to Luton Town on loan.

However, it seems as if Villa’s NSWE ownership were keen on bringing in Randolph, who was described as ‘ridiculous’ by former Middlesbrough team-mate Ryan Shotton, late in the window.

According to The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, the Hammers stopped Randolph from leaving on loan late in the January transfer window.

The reporter name-checked Villa and Leeds as the two possible destinations for the Irish goalkeeper, who has commanded £9.27m in transfer fees during his career.

Gerrard has two senior options at Villa in Martinez and Olsen following Steer’s departure, so missing out on Randolph shouldn’t prove to be a disaster.

The Argentine has missed just one of Villa’s 59 Premier League games since signing in 2020, proving his reliability in the Midlands.

On that basis, Villa shouldn’t be worried about missing out on Randolph – if Martinez is sidelined, another experienced campaigner in Olsen should be there to fill the void.

In other news: ‘Can’t believe that’ – Ashley Preece makes Villa claim on Boubacar Kamara and ‘huge’ summer plan

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