By Gabriel Agbonlahor

1st Nov, 2023 | 4:00am

Aston Villa expert shares verdict on £32.4m permanent Nicolo Zaniolo deal after what he's seen

Gabby Agbonlahor has insisted Aston Villa will not rush into a permanent move for on-loan attacker Nicolo Zaniolo after his early-season performances.

The former Aston Villa striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted he can see a “top player” in the 24-year-old.

Zaniolo started once again as Villa ran out 3-1 winners against Luton on Sunday (29 October) – but could not open his account for Unai Emery’s side.

The Italy international joined on a season-long loan from Galatasaray late in the summer transfer window.

Aston Villa will make that move permanent if certain obligations in the deal are met.

The Midlands club could pay up to £5.5million for the loan, plus a potential £32.4million fee at the end of that temporary spell.

He has made 13 appearances across all competitions so far for Villa but is yet to score or assist.

Agbonlahor told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “He does look like a very good player, but we’ve not seen him at his best.

“Sometimes he doesn’t make the right decision, the right pass. He’s trying to do too much.

“But there’s no doubt that he’s a talented player.

“Emery won’t be in a rush to decide whether to go through with the obligations.

“Let’s see how he does, how many goals he scores.

“But I think there’s a top player in there. We won’t rush into doing the deal, but I think it could still happen.

“Let’s see how he performs.”

In other news, Tottenham in advanced talks to agree deal with Aston Villa man.