Taylor expecting Angel loss
Tuesday, 25 February 2003 10:10Aston Villa's Graham Taylor has admitted that he still expects to lose club record signing Juan Pablo Angel in the summer. Taylor is to give transfer-listed defender Alpay another chance in the first team but concedes Colombian striker Angel remains most likely to leave. The former River Plate striker is currently back at home in South America with his wife, who is expecting their second child.
It was Angel's unhappiness at the way he and his family were treated by the club at the time of the birth of their first baby which initially unsettled him. He scored 16 goals last season but has seldom produced the goods in 2002-2003 and has told Taylor that he wants to move to a club in mainland Europe.
Taylor told PA Sport: "I've never denied anyone the right to move on within the period of their contract because, if it suits the club to move a player on, they do it anyhow. I still think that Juan Pablo wants to move on and the impression I get is that he'd like to go abroad to Europe, probably to a warmer country than England.
"I've said to him if that is how he feels, then it is a question of waiting and seeing if anything happens. But if we get a right offer in the summer, you'd have to seriously consider it because the player has indicated he wants to leave. But in the meantime I've told him to be with his wife while she is expecting the baby and get that sorted out. There are still a few more important things than playing football."
Angel joined Villa from River Plate for £9.5million two years ago but the midlands club would be unlikely to recoup more than half that fee in the current financial climate.
Filed by Johnny Proby
