St Etienne defender Harold Moukoudi admits he came close to joining Aston Villa over the summer.

ASSE snapped up Moukoudi from Le Havre - but not before he spoke with Villa boss Dean Smith.

He told Le Progres: "England? Eventually. Aston Villa? I even talked to the coach. I wanted to stay in France to make me feel better.

"I want to do something structured and not burn my wings. At my age (21), the most important thing is to play, learn and have fun. We learn by playing.

"For now, I watch the Premier League as a spectator. Later we shall see. Today, I'm focusing on Saint-Etienne."