Why Aston Villa must go all out to sign Callum Wilson
According to the Daily Star, Aston Villa have added Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson to their shortlist of potential targets in the ongoing transfer window.
However, the Villans will have to face competition from several Premier League clubs in order to sign the Englishman, who signed a new long-term contract last summer, worth £110,000-a-week. (h/t Daily Star)
Profile
Wilson started out at the academy of Coventry City. During his time at the club, the striker had loan spells away at Kettering Town and Tamworth. After scoring 23 goals in 55 matches for Coventry, Bournemouth signed him up in the summer of 2014.
Since joining the Cherries, the 28-year-old has been a consistent source of goals for the club. Till date, Wilson has made 187 appearances for the South Coast club, scoring 67 goals and registering 30 assists. He has been capped four times by the England national team as well.
Villa’s dearth of quality options up front
Aston Villa survived the threat of relegation from the Premier League by a hair’s breadth on the final day of the season. So, it goes without saying that the squad needs structuring if Dean Smith & co. are to perform better in the upcoming season.
Villa managed to score just 41 goals in the season gone by, with midfielder and captain Jack Grealish ending up as the leading goalscorer with eight goals. Winger Trezeguet was the second-highest with six strikes.
Wesley, who arrived in a big-money deal last summer, managed just five goals before injury cut short his campaign. January signing Mbwana Samatta found the back of the net just once. Neither strikers were able to find the back of the net consistently enough, while Keinan Davis hardly made an impact either. Thus, Villa must strengthen the centre-forward department this summer.
And Wilson, to that end, would be an ideal choice. The England international enjoyed his most prolific campaign in 2018/19, banging in 14 league goals, while contributing with 10 assists. He did, however, fail to hit the same heights this past season, finishing with 8 league goals in 35 games – which is still better than what the Villa strikers managed.
With years of experience in the top-flight, the 28-year-old would add greater quality to the Aston Villa attack. His signing would also increase the depth of the squad, while the added competition would spur the likes of Samatta and Wesley to perform better.
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Verdict
Aston Villa lack a Premier League-proven striker in their midst, with the current options at their disposal failing to make the desired impact. So signing someone of Wilson’s ilk would be a step in the right direction. The 28-year-old would provide them with some much-needed goals, while also elevating the overall quality of the squad.
