Why Marko Grujic would be a good signing for Aston Villa
According to Goal (h/t Birmingham Live), Aston Villa have been linked with a move for out-of-favour Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic, who is expected to depart Anfield on a permanent basis this summer.
The 24-year-old, who spent the last couple of seasons on loan at Hertha Berlin in the German Bundesliga, has also attracted interest from Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt and Italian outfit Atalanta. (Goal h/t Birmingham Live)
As per the report, Liverpool are open to selling the Serbian international, who has a contract until the summer of 2023, but have slapped a sizable £20m price tag on the midfielder.
Profile
Marko Grujic shot to prominence with Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade before completing his move to Liverpool back in January 2016. The Serb was loaned back to his former club for the remainder of the season before eventually making his first-team debut for the Reds in the following campaign.
Lack of regular game time in Merseyside paved the way for a loan move to Cardiff City during the second half of the 2017/18 season, where Grujic played a key role in the Bluebirds’ promotion push in the Championship.
Grujic accumulated an impressive tally of 9 goals and 3 assists in 54 appearances for Hertha Berlin across all competitions over the course of his two-year loan spell in Germany before returning to Liverpool earlier this summer.
Villa’s current midfield scenario
Aston Villa forked out some money last summer as a part of their squad rebuild following their promotion to the Premier League. Several new faces were roped in from across various leagues in Europe, including midfielders Douglas Luiz and Marvelous Nakamba.
Villa already had a strong central midfield unit comprising the likes of John McGinn and Conor Hourihane back from their Championship days and Dean Smith showed a lot of faith in both the players in the Premier League as well.
McGinn was, in fact, one of the standout players for the Villans last season alongside skipper Jack Grealish, despite facing a long spell on the sidelines. Luiz and Hourihane also chipped in with significant contributions as the club somehow avoided relegation.
There wasn’t much joy, though, for the likes of Henri Lansbury and Danny Drinkwater, who spent the second half of the previous campaign on loan at Villa Park from Chelsea. Nakamba initially showed a lot of promise and nailed down a regular starting role but gradually faded away and ended the season as a squad player.
Why Grujic could boost Villa’s midfield
With fixtures set to come thick and fast in the upcoming campaign until Christmas due to the delayed start, Aston Villa need to make sure that they have enough depth in their ranks to cope with potential injuries.
Central midfield is one area where a lot of depth is desirable and Marko Grujic looks more than capable of doing a job for Smith’s side next term. The 24-year-old caught the eye on his loan spell in the Bundesliga, carving out a reputation for himself as a goalscoring central midfielder.
That should definitely appeal to the Villans, who scored only 41 goals in 38 games last season and need more direct goal involvement from their midfielders. Grujic definitely fits the bill in that regard, while his knowledge of the English game means that the Midlands outfit can afford to look at him as an immediate game-changer in the middle.
Moreover, the acquisition of a quality player like Grujic would definitely promote healthy competition for places in the midfield.
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Verdict
Marko Grujic still has his best years ahead of him at 24, meaning that he could be an excellent long-term investment for Aston Villa. With that in mind, the Villans shouldn’t hesitate to match Liverpool’s £20m valuation of the Serbian international.
