Cameron Archer may return to Aston Villa thanks to Sheffield United clause

Aston Villa were middle of the pack for net spend in the Premier League last summer after signing Moussa Diaby and Pau Torres in big-money deals. They were able to partly offset those purchases with four permanent sales, most of which only fetched small fees.

Striker Keinan Davis departed for Serie A outfit Udinese, Marvelous Nakamba joined newly-promoted Luton after a successful loan spell, and Jaden Philogene dropped down to the Championship with Hull City.

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He was forced off in the first half against Nottingham Forest.

But the headline departure, and the one that earned Villa a significant windfall, was Cameron Archer’s £18m move to Sheffield United. A product of the Villa academy, Archer had impressed on half-season loans at Preston North End and Middlesbrough, scoring 18 goals across the two spells to put himself firmly in the shop window.

It was no surprise that he was willing to leave the club given that he’d be limited to 14 first-team appearances, and hadn’t been given the chance to start a single Premier League game. But as it turns out, his story with Villa may not be done just yet.

Archer could return to Villa

According to talkSPORT, Villa are likely to re-sign Archer if Sheffield United are relegated. That looks a nigh-on certainty at this point, with the Blades a full 11 points from safety after 26 of 38 matches.

It’s unclear exactly how much Villa would pay, but under a “clever clause” NSWE inserted into their agreement with Sheffield United, they’ll be able to bring him back for a “cut-price fee” if Chris Wilder’s side do go down.

“Fantastic” Archer could replace Duran

The big question Villa fans will be asking now is whether Archer has done enough to earn a squad role under Unai Emery, or whether he’ll be sold again for another handsome profit.

Well, on paper, four goals in 16 league starts for Sheffield United doesn’t sound particularly impressive, but context is important here. He’s playing for the poorest team in the division, one that has scored fewer goals (22) than anybody else and generated the second-lowest xG (23.7).

Archer has tried to make the best of a bad situation, netting more open-play goals than anybody else in the squad and marginally out-performing his individual xG. James Quinn, who coached the Englishman during a stint at Solihull Moors, has described him as a player with real “technical quality” and a “fantastic finisher”, and he’s certainly held his own in front of goal despite the pressure of a relegation battle.

Crucially, Emery is believed to have some misgivings about Jhon Duran, whose attitude on the training ground has been a cause for concern “on multiple occasions”, and so he may consider installing Archer as Ollie Watkins’ deputy instead.