Matty Cash is set to complete a dream move to the Premier League, becoming Dean Smith’s first signing this summer. Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest have agreed a £14 million (rising to £16 million) deal for the right-back, according to The Athletic’s Daniel Taylor.
The young right-back will move to Villa Park from Nottingham Forest, who narrowly missed out on the play-offs last season. Cash will be hoping to cement his place in Villa’s starting line-up and pick-up where he left off last season.
Aston Villa Sign Highly-Rated Nottingham Forest Right-Back Matty Cash
Can Cash Handle the Step Up?
When Sabri Lamouchi tried Cash as a right-back last season, many would have been cautious about the change. However, the 23-year-old took to it like a duck to water. Fast forward to the end of the 2019/20 campaign and that decision turned out to be legendary, with Cash picking up the club’s Player of the Year award too.
Stepping into an unfamiliar position and performing at such a high level shows how flexible Cash is. This notion of adaptability will most certainly interest Villa, who will need Cash to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League.
Cash will have Frederic Guilbert and Ahmed Elmohamady to compete with for a place in Villa’s starting 11 next season. Going forward, Cash is excellent and provides more of a threat than Villa’s current right-backs. Defensively speaking, the former Nottingham Forest star was getting better and better as the season progressed. He managed to keep former Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson out of the side after his return from injury.
A Move That Frees Bree
With Cash coming in, Villa have allowed for James Bree to leave. The 22-year-old was on a season-long loan at Luton Town last year, who have brought him back to Kenilworth Road.
Including Cash, Bree would have been Villa’s fourth choice right-back next season. He was in need a move away to continue his development and it was his former club that could accommodate for that.
The former Barnsley defender found it difficult to kick-start his season at Luton. However, he became an integral part of their success post-lockdown and played every minute of the Hatters’ last five games.
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