New striker 'top of Aston Villa's wish-list' for January

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·9 de diciembre de 2023

New striker 'top of Aston Villa's wish-list' for January

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has done a superb job in turning the Midlands club into potential title challengers, though Sunday People chief sports writer Neil Moxley has told GIVEMESPORT why they need to sign another striker upon the January transfer market opening for business.

Emery’s high-flying outfit, after beating Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions, are in the mix of securing European football for the second season on the bounce, with striker Ollie Watkins scoring on all cylinders.

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Watkins, a nine-cap England international, took to the Premier League like a duck to water upon his arrival and has been influential in their rise in becoming a hardened force to be reckoned with.

Watkins’ importance to Aston Villa’s title hopes

Back in September 2020, the Villans parted ways with £33m in order to snare the signature of ex-Brentford talisman Watkins and, in turn, broke their then-transfer record, though not many fans would’ve expected such an impressive return of investment.

Now, three years down the line, and you have to wonder where they’d be without the Englishman’s goals? Having registered 45 goals and a further 16 assists in his 132-game Bees career, they knew they were getting a natural-born finisher, though worries arose whether the now-£130,000-a-week earner would be able to adapt to the thrills and spills of the Premier League.

Immediately becoming the club’s leading striker, the Torquay-born forward impressed during his first taste of top flight football, netting 16 goals and an additional five assists in 2020/21. He was the undeniable driving force in their Europa Conference League-securing season in 2022/23 and has continued to be as prolific as ever since the new campaign got underway, adding eight goals and assists apiece to his Premier League tally.

His innate ability to score like it’s going out of fashion had been noticed by top clubs around Europe, most notably perennial Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich, though Thomas Tuchel eventually opted to sign his fellow countryman, Harry Kane.

But looking beyond Watkins is where the troubles begin to arise for Emery and his entourage. The Spaniard’s second in command is Jhon Duran, a 19-year-old striker signed from Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire for £18m in January. Since, he has scored four goals in 28 outings, while Watkins has continued to be rampant. And despite Moxley recently coining the Colombian marksman ‘one to watch’ in an interview with GIVEMESPORT, there are fears that he is incapable of performing as Watkins’ understudy.

Neil Moxley on Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Moxley claimed that Watkins – and not just because of his potent nature in front of goal – is a crucial figure for Emery. However, he did suggest that his back-up, Duran, is unable to ‘carry the weight’ of a potential title charge, despite being a top player.

Referencing if the Englishman was to become unavailable for selection for whatever reason, he claimed that their hopes of securing the title would be hindered dramatically given his influence on the way they operate. As such, the Sunday People chief sports writer suggested that signing an understudy in the impending January transfer window should be their top priority. Moxley said:

“The only place he's not got an option is upfront. And to be honest with you, Ollie Watkins is so crucial. Not just his goals, obviously they play a massive part, but to the way Villa operate. In Jhon Duran, I really don't think they've got a striker that would be able to carry the weight of a title challenge on his shoulders yet. That's not to say I don't think Jhon Duran is a player, I think there is certainly something there, and it's really up to him about how far he develops in the game because he's got all the physical attributes and that goal against Crystal Palace he thumped in with his left foot shows he's got an eye for goal. “But if anything was to happen to Ollie Watkins, then Villa’s title chances would take a bit of a nosedive, in my opinion. So I think a capable deputy to Watkins, somebody cut from the same sort of cloth whether or not it's a younger version of Watkins, somebody that can drip in and drip out in the Premier League. I think that will be top of Villa’s wishlist in January. I'll be very, very, very surprised if Unai Emery doesn’t act upon that and goes and gets someone.”

Villa eye sensational Tammy Abraham move

In order to alleviate the goalscoring burden on Watkins’ shoulders, Villa are, according to Football Insider, plotting a move for Roma forward Tammy Abraham. The 26-year-old plied his trade for the Villans in a one-season loan stint between the summers of 2018 and 2019 and could be in line to return to Villa Park, whether that be in January or next summer, amid their search for Premier League greatness.

The England ace, who has totted up 36 goals and 12 assists in Serie A, is currently nursing an anterior cruciate ligament tear and is scheduled to return to the field in the spring of 2024, though his switch back to England could be just what the doctor ordered for Emery, especially with interest in Watkins’ signature rising around European circles.

It has also been suggested that Duran could be forced to leave upon the January transfer window opening for business on the back of growing concerns about his attitude, with him being described as a ‘handful’ for the Villa staff. To replace him with former Chelsea ace Abraham would be clever business, especially as he was so crucial in their promotion-securing campaign in 2018/19, notching 26 goals and three assists.