Leander signs for the Villa

It’s a rare thing indeed for Villa to shop at Molineux.

Kortney Hause’s arrival in 2019 was Villa’s first recruit from Wolves in 49 years so for a second to come along within 4 years is interesting indeed.

At 27 Leander Dendoncker, capable both in midfield and at the back, is a far brighter signing than others under Gerrard.

He’s also only the third midfielder brought across the Midlands after George Kinsey in 1894 and Bill Baxter in 1953. Let’s hope he takes after the latter (108 appearances, 6 goals, Villa’s reserve team coach and first team trainer) and not the former - a record transfer fee paid for just three appearances.

Although never grabbing the limelight in the way of Rúben Neves and Raúl Jiménez, Dendoncker has been a key component in Wolves’ relative success in recent seasons and so it is a surprise to see him rated as only a squad player at Molineux, let alone allowed to leave by Bruno Lage.

Indeed this, on the face of it, is an astute piece of business - that is if anything can be described as astute in 2022 era Villa.

So welcome Leander.