Aston Villa have experienced quite a resurrection under Steve Bruce this season after a horror start under Roberto Di Matteo. Many expected them to make an immediate return to the Premier League this season and Di Matteo was brought in for that job but things did not go their way at all. Steve Bruce took the sinking ship after that and has done quite a brilliant job since then.
The Birmingham Mail claims that Aston Villa are leading the chase for Leicester City star Jeffrey Schlupp even though West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palace are also in the running. Well, Villa are just a Championship side and do not have Premier League football to offer the Ghana international which makes it a tough deal for the Midlands side to pull off.
It is a public knowledge that West Brom were hot on the tail of the Leicester City wideman throughout the summer and had four bids ranging between £9m and £12m rejected by the Premier League holders. Schlupp himself was very eager to move on from the King Power in search of more first-team opportunities but the Foxes were adamant on holding on to as many of their title-winning squad players as possible.
However, Schlupp’s struggle for first-team opportunities has become more serious this season. Formerly, it was just Marc Albrighton ahead of him in the pecking order on the left flank and now Ahmed Musa is also present. The 23-year-old needs a move desperately in order to get playing time and he could get that at Hawthorns. Schlupp has only started one Premier League game so far this campaign and featured just thrice in the Champions League so far.
Schlupp is an extremely versatile player. Even though his best position is on the left flank, he is well capable of playing his trade at left-back. He is strong, he is quick and he is very athletic. On top of that, he is very much adaptable and his versatility raises his stocks even higher.
The Ghana international can take on defenders with his pace and is a good crosser of the ball. His brilliant recovery pace and physicality make him well capable of playing as a left full-back. However, it seems unlikely that the Ghana star will get playing time as a left-back at Villa Park. Jordan Amavi is already there and Aly Cissokho is more than capable of deputising for the gifted Amavi. This only means that Schlupp will get his favoured winger role if he signs for Bruce’s side.
Still only 23, the Ghana international has his best days well ahead of him. He needs to play regular first-team football in order to fulfil his potential and he will get that at Villa Park as a winger. This will be a brilliant deal for the Villans but once again, it will be a pretty hard one to pull off as Crystal Palace and West Brom are in the race for him.
