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ENGLISH Premier League giants Aston Villa have joined the growing list of clubs looking to sign Tosin Adarabioyo during the transfer window following Fulham’s relegation to the Championship at the end of last season.
Adarabioyo, 23, was one of Fulham’s revelations last season, making 31 appearances in what was his first full Premier League season. He joined Fulham from Manchester City on transfer deadline day last October, in a deal worth just £1.5m having come through the ranks with the Premier League champions.
However, Fulham have been relegated despite showing a lot of promise and given Adarabioyo’s scintillating form, it is certain that the club will forced to sell him. Eligible to play for both Nigeria and England, Adarabioyo is yet to commit his international future to the Supers Eagles like team mates Ola Aina, Ademola Lookman and Josh Maja.
Already Arsenal, Southampton, Norwich City, West Ham United and Newcastle have made enquiries about Adarabioyo and now Aston Villa have entered the fray too. A towering centreback, Adarabioyo can use his powerful 1.95m frame to overpower the opposition and win important 50-50 aerial duels and has a good leap that allows him to dominate the penalty box with authority.
Only picking up one yellow card throughout the season, Adarabioyo averaged 1.1 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 5.8 clearances per game during the campaign. He was also excellent when distributing possession in the opposition half after making 86.2% of his attempted passes in top-flight football.
Adarabioyo is proficient at timing his tackles well to secure possession back for his team, can clear his lines when needed and can play out from the back too. Aston Villa manager Dean Smith is believed to be a big fan of Adarabioyo, seeing him as someone who can help his team compete for a top six place.
