‘Always My Goal’ – Aston Villa Out-on-loan Star Retains Villa Park Hope | OneFootball

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Aston Villa out-on-loan attacker Lewis Dobbin is aiming to make the grade at Villa Park, but has backed himself to get a good move if he has to leave the Villans.

Dobbin signed for Aston Villa in 2024 for a fee reported to be in the region of £10m from Everton, after coming through the Toffees academy.

The winger is on loan with Preston North End in the Championship this campaign and has taken the chance with both hands, impressing with seven goals and six assists so far.

Dobbin, who is contracted with Aston Villa until 2028, has admitted that he takes it game-by-game rather than worrying about his long-term future.

Professing football’s unpredictability, Dobbin hopes that by leaving his best on the pitch, the future will take care of itself.

Dobbin was quoted as saying by the Lancashire Evening Post: “I just take it game by game and see what happens.

“Football’s a weird game so you never know what’s around the corner.

“I’ve just got to perform at my highest level and see where that takes me.”

Dobbin revealed that he hopes to break through at Aston Villa, but went on to add that it would not be ‘the end of the world’ if he fails to do so as he backs himself to get a good transfer.

“I’m contracted to Villa. I went there with the aspirations to play for Villa.

“That’s always my goal, that’s always the long-term goal.

“Hopefully, I get the chance one day but if not, it’s not the end of the world.

“I’ll back myself to have a good move if I was to leave Villa.

“We’ll just see what happens in the future but definitely my aim is to play for Villa one day.”

Dobbin has come in for consistent praise from Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom, who said he was ‘really impressed by the way he plays’ in August, called him ‘explosive’ in September, before praising him for being a ‘really diligent professional’ in November.

Heckingbottom was also pleased that the shifting of Dobbin to more central areas has paid off after the forward’s ‘best return yet at first team level in the season’.

Looking like playoff contenders until the beginning of February, a seven-match winless run has seen Preston taper off to 13th in the division.

A 3-1 win over Stoke City last weekend saw Preston finally return to winning ways, with Dobbin picking up an assist, but Deepdale is likely to have to wait at least a season longer to host Premier League football.

With seven games to play, Dobbin will want to finish his season on a high note, as hopes to get a look in during the pre-season with Unai Emery.