Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, with Steven Gerrard considering signing another attacker this month.
According to The Athletic, Steven Gerrard could consider signing another attacker in the ongoing transfer window, with Aston Villa pondering a move for Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.
Since last summer, Aston Villa have made significant moves in the transfer market. They were boosted by the injection of £100 million through Jack Grealish’s sale. The Villans spent that sum on a variety of players, mostly to bolster their attack. They have continued the trend this month and may still bring more players before the transfer window slams shut .
Aston Villa planned to fill the void left by Grealish’s departure last summer and decided to sign three attackers with that cash. Leon Bailey, Emiliano Buendia and Danny Ings all joined the Midlands club, although the three players are yet to hit top gear.
The big issue has been to accommodate all those attackers in the lineup, with their failure to integrate within the team costing Dean Smith his job. They have found a new lease of life under new manager Steven Gerrard who has put forward his ideas in front of the club superbly.
Now the big issue for Gerrard is accommodating star striker Ollie Watkins in the side and getting the best out of his talent. The report suggests that the former Brentford forward has been ineffective in a wide role he has often been deployed in this season. The idea has been to allow the Englishman more freedom, but his best position seems to be through the middle.
Fans have pointed out the issues with deploying Watkins out wide, which could be due to the need to accommodate Ings properly in the team. With the former Southampton striker more effective from the middle, Watkins has had to modify his game to suit Aston Villa’s requirements.
Gerrard is keen on bringing the best out of Watkins and wants to play him centrally. Despite signing Philippe Coutinho in the ongoing window, the Aston manager wants the club to add another attacker, which could prompt them to look at Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.
Nketiah is out of contract at Arsenal in the summer, and a reasonable offer this month could tempt the Gunners. Arnsela themselves are trying their best to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina in January and might look at the money received from the sales of fringe stars to boost their coffers and fund Vlahovic’s signing.
Nketiah could be available for a cut-price fee this month as Mikel Arteta looks to trim the Arsenal squad further. He could be a good option for Aston Villa, considering he can operate on the wings and allow Watkins to express himself centrally.
