Aston Villa have made a statement on Nicolo Zaniolo ahead of their clash with West Ham United on Sunday.
West Ham travel to the west Midlands to take on Aston Villa this weekend, with both teams flying high in the Premier League table, and Nicolo Zaniolo has been in the headlines leading up to the game.
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Ironically, the Hammers allegedly tried to sign the 24-year-old last year before he moved to Galatasaray from Roma, and then we apparently tried to bring him to the London Stadium again in the summer before he eventually moved to Villa Park.
Unfortunately for the Italian though, he has made the headlines for all the wrong reasons since joining the Villans.
He is currently under investigation and is being questioned by authorities pertaining to his role in the Italian football betting scandal (Daily Mail).
Aston Villa make Nicolo Zaniolo statement ahead of West Ham clash
The west Midlands outfit released an official statement regarding the Italy international’s current situation today, via their website.
The statement reads:
“Aston Villa can confirm Nicolò Zaniolo is assisting the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the relevant authorities’ investigation into alleged illegal betting activity. The player has also met with senior officials at the club. Zaniolo is training as normal with the first-team squad and available for selection ahead of this weekend’s match with West Ham United. No further comment will be made by the Club during this ongoing process.”
So there you have it – Zaniolo will be available for this weekend’s clash with the Hammers at Villa Park.
In all fairness, he hasn’t done much on the pitch for Unai Emery’s side this season, with no goals or assists in nine outings thus far (Transfermarkt).
It’s highly unlikely that he will start the match against West Ham, given the current circumstances.
Aside from the Zaniolo show, Aston Villa and West Ham head into the match in fine form, so it should be a real cracker of a game.
The Hammers haven’t lost against the Villans since 2015 and have won five our of our last six meetings. I fancy us to continue that run this weekend, regardless of whether the Italian plays or not.
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