Is Benteke the answer? | OneFootball

It has been well publicised over the last week or two that Aston Villa needs a striker. We have been linked with various names so far and no doubt several more will be linked. One name on some people’s lips is Christian Benteke.

Every transfer window it seems that we MUST be linked with a former fan favourite. We have been through the Ashley Young, James Milner and Gareth Barry links in recent seasons so when a former player is linked, it is hard to believe there is any truth in the rumour.

Cenk Tosun

Palace today announced that Cenk Tosun will join them on a six-month loan deal from Everton. So as you would expect, some sections of the media have put two and two together and the Benteke move is potentially on.

But for the big question, is Christian Benteke what Aston Villa need?

Benteke return

We all remember Benteke’s time at Aston Villa. Some will even say that Villa only got relegated because they lost their star striker. The 29-year-old scored 49 goals in 101 appearances during his time at B6. And towards the end of his Villa career, he started to link up very well with an up and coming Jack Grealish.

Fast forward five years and the two players careers have gone completely different ways. Benteke has lost his goal-scoring touch, having scored 1 goal in 2 seasons for Palace while Grealish can consider himself extremely unlucky to have not got an England cap yet.

The thought of Benteke returning is a nice fairytale. In the perfect world, he returns and picks up where he left off. His relationship with Grealish continues to blossom and he scores goals for fun. But can it happen? Does it need to happen?

Despite losing his goalscoring touch at Palace, he can still hold a ball up very well. Something that Villa needs massively. I have stated in previous articles on this website that our biggest problem is when the ball goes forward, it comes straight back. This catches the midfield out of position and puts a lot of pressure on the defence.

In short, I would take Benteke back on loan with an option to buy. If the move doesn’t work out, that way Villa are not stuck with a player past his best. If it does work out, we have a fan favourite who knows what the club is about back at Aston Villa.