Why Aston Villa could make good use of Fabio Borini
According to L’Arena (h/t Birmingham Mail), Aston Villa are preparing a surprise move for Hellas Verona forward Fabio Borini.
Borini, a former Liverpool player, recently joined Verona from Serie A rivals AC Milan in January. However, he only signed a six-month contract with them, which makes him a free agent at the end of this season.
Meanwhile, Premier League side Villa are trying to make the best out of this situation. Villa hope that they can secure the 29-year-old Borini for free when this season ends. Borini, who arrived at AC Milan back in July 2018 for a fee of £5million, has played just 8 league games this season, of which six have come for Verona.
A £10.5million signing by Liverpool, Borini had become an unwanted man at AC Milan, which saw him being offloaded to Verona in January. However, the versatile attacker has impressed since arriving at Verona, scoring two goals. One of those came in their shocking 2-1 victory over leaders Juventus in February.
Aston Villa can get Borini for free
Meanwhile, Dean Smith’s Villa are fighting for survival, with the side currently lying just above bottom side Norwich City.
They could face an almost certain relegation back to the Championship after having earned their promotion just last season. Lack of a consistent goal-scorer and creativity in the attack seemed to have put Villa down, with the side managing to score just 34 goals from 28 league games.
Meanwhile, Villa had bought three wingers – Trezeguet, Anwar El Ghazi, and Jota in the summer. However, the trio has been far from impressive managing just 7 league goals between them.
The inconsistency and poor form of the wingers had forced manager Smith to deploy skipper Jack Grealish on the left this season. Predominantly an attacking midfielder, Grealish, however, adapted to the role quickly, scoring 7 goals and providing 6 assists.
With his side’s wingers failing to put up a good show and considering Villa’s uncertain future, roping in Borini seems like a wise move. The Italian is a veteran of 111 Premier League matches, having played for English clubs such as Liverpool, Sunderland and Swansea in the past.
Borini’s vast experience playing in England will definitely aid Smith’s Villa if they stay or get relegated from the Premier League next season
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Verdict
With Smith’s young set of wingers failing despite several chances, it’s high time he brought in an experienced campaigner. Borini, who has played before in England, thus, looks like a good option for Villa if they can secure him for free.
