As Villa continue to mull striking options having acquired Ollie Watkins for £33m, there is an interesting link to a forgotten star emerging.
It took Villa an age of negotiations to get the Watkins deal across the line, emphasising the challenge of both recruiting and improving a squad that narrowly avoided relegation last term.
After a promising 1-0 win over Manchester United in our final warm-up friendly, Dean Smith will be mindful that the strikeforce remains decidedly light.
Former record signing Wesley has only just arrived back in Birmingham from Brazil as he looks set to continue his recuperation from a dreadful knee injury suffered on New Years Day against Burnley.
Mbwana Samatta failed to set the world alight after joining in January, whilst Indiana Vassilev remains very much a rookie.
Keinan Davis, who despite showing promising technique, failed to find the net as the club lurched perilously close to relegation. However, Villa opted to extend his deal until 2021 and now look set to offer the 22 year old a further 2 years.
If nothing else, it allows Davis’ transfer value to be protected, with the possibility of a season long loan away from B6 not ruled out.
DON’T BET ON BENTEKE
Embed from Getty ImagesIt’s hard not to get sentimental when it comes to a transfer link to Christian Benteke. The Belgian striker was unplayable at times during a torrid time most supporters spent following Aston Villa, with the striker seemingly taking on the opposition on his own at times.
An impressive haul of 49 goals in a little over 100 appearances brought him to the attention of some of the best sides in Europe. With Villa’s terminal decline, it was inevitable that he should depart to put his career back on the ascendancy.
It all went wrong for Benteke after a big money move to Liverpool, where he failed to recreate any of the form or goalscoring that he routinely produced at Villa Park. To watch him struggle and become derided at Anfield was as perplexing as it was painful.
Add to that a pretty dire time at Crystal Palace and his valuation has crashed. Benteke left Villa £30m+ predator, but he can now be snapped up for just £10m. Indeed, such is Palace’s eagerness to shift his £120,000 weekly wage of their books, there is also suggestion that they would accept £8m.
It’s not hard to see why. Benteke’s recent display at Villa Park was disinterested, ineffective and anonymous but for a pointless sending of at the games climax.
Ultimately, this is why Villa won’t touch a player of this type. Savour the past memories, because the future has to be built upon the likes of Ollie Watkins, Betrand Traore, Milot Rashica and the like.
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No thanks, that ship sailed long ago, he’s finished
We already have Keinan with difficulties in front of gaol. Don’t need a past hero to return and destroy the memories. Earlier this year it was said Christian didn’t want to come back to us, we should respect his wishes and just savour the memories.
Different team, different manager, different time. This villa side is going to be set up around Watkins, to play to his strengths and get the ball to him in the places he likes. Benteke would be again best an impact sub, with a team not designed to get the best out of him. It wouldn’t work. I feel sorry for him at Liverpool, I don’t think it was his fault there, the team just wasn’t set up to play to his strengths. At the time he was still a great striker and if they had built around him, and set up to service him I think he could have carried on his Villa form. But they didn’t and since then his confidence has crashed, he’s lost the edge mentally top strikers need. I think his only chance to get his form back would be a move to a club where they made him the main man again and really set up to play to his strengths. This ain’t gonna happen at any Prem league club I’m afraid and certainly not at Villa where it’s all going to be about building the team to get the best out of Watkins and Jack.
Anything news involving benrhama I know his been linked with palace but was hoping we’d got him in by now and we’re linked with rashica and troare but barely heard a word on benrhama even though we continually linked with him . I’d personally like us to get him to be honest
Honestly, I would have welcomed Benteke back in January with open arms. We were that desperate for a striker, and I think he could have rediscovered his form with us. But we’re in a different position now; our recruitment strategy seems pretty clear.
Keinan’s obviously highly thought of in the heirarchy and if he’s been given a new contract then fair play to him. I think he needs to be starting games regularly for the good of his career though – he’s had so many injury problems and disruptions just when it looked as though he was going to get a run of games.
Get benrahama in now it’s looks like milot rashica doesn’t want to come or he would have signed by now. He’s going to turn us down and then we going to miss out on benrahama because he will have go elsewhere we all know he wants to come to villa