Aston Villa Midfielder Jean Makoun Moves To Rennes On Loan

Jean Makoun's Aston Villa career looks to be coming to a close. The club have announced that the midfielder will be moving to Rennes 'with a view to a permanent deal' . It's not really a very long statement, but then again Makoun's tenure at the club wasn't particularly long either. Brought in from Lyon for around €8M in the January 2011 transfer window by then-manage Gerard Houllier, Makoun played in twelve matches for the Midlands club before Houllier left for health reasons.

Following the appointment of Alex McLeish, the Cameroonian then found himself loaned to Olympiacos for the season, and he hasn't fared any better under new boss Paul Lambert. Makoun didn't play in any of Villa's preseason matches, and with the acquisition of Karim El Ahmadi squeezing any possible space in the midfield, this move makes sense as a way to shed some of the wage bill. It's unfortunate that Makoun was never really given the chance to impress in England, but he should end up back on his feet in France.