Sarkic mulls over offers after decision to leave
ASTON Villa goalkeeper Matija Sarkic could have a new club as soon as this week after deciding to leave Villa Park.
Football Insider say the 22-year-old, who is out of contract this summer, is contemplating offers from abroad and domestically.
Sarkic made it clear last month that he intends to establish himself as a first-choice goalkeeper despite the possibility of a new contract from Villa.
He has been linked with a move to League One Sunderland and Blackpool.
The 22-year-old has struggled to make his mark at Villa, with Tom Heaton, Jed Steer and Orjan Nyland all ahead of him in the pecking order in Dean Smith’s side.
Sarkic, whose brother Oliver plays for Burton Albion in the third tier, made the substitutes bench for the Carabao Cup semi-final with Leicester City in
January but that’s as close as he has got to a Villa appearance.
He spent the first half of the season on loan at Livingston and did well for Gary Holt’s side, but with a goalkeeper crisis unfolding at Villa at the turn of the year Smith brought him back.
Last month Sarkic addressed his future.
“It was great in Livingston,” he told media in his native Montenegro. “The club, however, soon brought in the famous and experienced Spanish goalkeeper Pepe Reina, so there was no room for me.
“I think that there will be little space for a real chance in Aston Villa in the future, so I plan to go, despite the club’s desire to extend my contract.
“There is interest, both in England and abroad.”
Meanwhile, Villa have been warned they need to beat Sheffield United upon their return to Premier League action to give their hopes of staying in the top tier a boost. Pundit Charlie Nicholas thinks Villa are capable of securing their safety but says their game in hand against Chris Wilder’s men is going to be crucial.
Villa return from a break of over three months on June 17 as they host the Blades.
They are 19th, two points behind AFC Bournemouth (18th), Watford (17th) and West Ham (16th) who all have 27 points after 29 matches. Dean Smith’s side could leapfrog all of them if they beat United.
Nicholas said: “You’d be hopeful that Villa can get out of it because they’re a giant club. “Where do you go with it? I would say that they probably need to get a win against Sheffield United to convince themselves they can get out of this. If they don’t do that, I’d expect Villa might be the third team to go down.”