Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
WARRIORS combative midfielder Marvelous Nakamba might as well start considering offers from Turkish topflight side Trabzonspor as his English Premiership outfit Aston Villa continues to slide deep into relegation.
Villa lost 1-2 at home to former champions Chelsea on Sunday, with Nakamba coming on as a 70th minute substitute for Courie Hourihane.
Villa went into the break leading 1-0 but conceded two goals in two minutes just after the hour mark and by the time Nakamba was introduced, they were already trailing and the confidence with which they had played the first half had been snuffed out.
There was really nothing the Zimbabwe international could do to inspire his teammates, who seemed to have accepted their fate.
Villa are second from the bottom of the league table with 26 points from 30 outings.
Their next five games will have a significant bearing in their campaign, as they take on Newcastle next weekend before facing champions-elect Liverpool and Manchester United.
Nakamba has made 26 appearances for Villa out of 30 games.
He signed for Villa from Belgian side Club Brugge for €12 million last year and is under contract until June 2024.
Reports say Trabzonspor are looking for a replacement for former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, who terminated his deal with the club in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 26-year-old Nakamba is reportedly keen to move to the Turkish Super Liga table-toppers to play Champions League football next season.
While Nakamba’s side sank deep into relegation, his countryman Macauley Bourne played the last eight minutes in struggling Charlton Athletic’s 1-0 win over Hull City in the Championship.
The victory moved Athletic three places up the ladder into 19th place with 42 points, just a point above the drop zone. — @ZililoR
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