Aston Villa completing £4.2m deal for this 77-goal former PL veteran would be terrific

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Rohan Sengupta

Why Aston Villa would be wise to sign Trabzonspor’s Daniel Sturridge

According to Turkish newspaper Fanatik, via Sport Witness (h/t The Birmingham Mail), Aston Villa have made a £4.2m bid for Trabzonspor striker Daniel Sturridge.

After being released by Liverpool this past summer, Daniel Sturridge, 30, joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer. He has contributed with 7 goals and 4 assists in 13 games across all competitions, helping the club to fourth place in the Super Lig table, five points adrift of leaders Sivasspor.

The report (h/t The Birmingham Mail) adds that Aston Villa have made an offer for Sturridge in a bid to bolster Dean Smith’s attacking options.

Daniel Sturridge during his time at Liverpool. (Getty Images)
Daniel Sturridge during his time at Liverpool. (Getty Images)

The Villans have made three major January signings in Danny Drinkwater, Pepe Reina and Mbwana Samatta. They have been unable to field a recognized striker in their last four matches, with Wesley Moraes ruled out for the season with a nasty knee injury. Keinan Davis has just returned to training as he steps up his recovery from a hamstring injury. Also, Jonathan Kodjia recently left the club to join Al Gharafa.

While Smith has signed Samatta from Genk to bolster his forward line, the Tanzanian remains unproven at the highest level and it remains to be seen whether he manages to hit the ground running in the Premier League. Thus, Aston Villa’s interest in Daniel Sturridge is logical.

Sturridge has done extremely well at Trabzonspor, creating chances, supplying assists and scoring goals. Although he has not been able to keep himself fully fit in Turkey, with injuries still being a big problem, the Englishman has scored 7 goals in 13 games across all competitions so far this campaign.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith all smiles after he guided the club to promotion. (Getty Images)
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith all smiles after he guided the club to promotion. (Getty Images)

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He is capable of finishing off chances created by the likes of Jack Grealish, Anwar El Ghazi and Mahmoud Trezeguet, while he is also capable of complementing Samatta up front. Sturridge has massive Premier League experience as well, having scored 77 goals in 218 top-flight appearances.

Verdict

If Villa can manage to keep him fit, Sturridge would be a terrific signing. He has looked sharp in Trabzonspor colours and bringing in an experienced striker in the mould of the former Liverpool star would only bode well for Villa in their quest for survival.