Post the drop to the second tier, Aston Villa have had a mixed season so far in the Championship. The starting results, under the tutelage of Roberto Di Matteo, proved to be horrendous as they were pillaged by the opponents owing to their lack or quality or character. However, after the introduction of Steve Bruce, the Villans have consolidated themselves as he put forth his brilliant managerial abilities on the tray to steady the ship which appeared to be on the verge of sinking.
His job is only partially done, for he has the bigger yardsticks to meet, i.e., ensuring a much higher finish than their present position of 13th or maybe a playoff spot. Aston Villa are still nine points behind Sheffield Wednesday who are poised in the sixth spot (the last playoff berth).
To cater to the demands of the club, Aston Villa are reportedly linked with Swansea City’s Modou Barrow as Bruce continues his mission of resurrecting the side that he inherited from Di Matteo. But importantly, is this signing going to do any good to his brigade?
Barrow is one of the few serially undervalued assets in Paul Clement’s squad. The 24-year-old winger has a blistering burst of pace and a healthy physique which makes him a delightful player to watch when on song. Unarguably, it is more about his raw pace that makes him a winger who has a decent demand, though he isn’t widely known for his first touch or the ability to control the ball and move forward. Sadly, it is his inconsistency in form that has let him down more often than not, for he shows moments of sheer magic one day and withers away the next outing.
The Swans have recently acquired the services of Luciano Narsingh from PSV, and undoubtedly he is a winger who is much highly rated than Barrow. This implies that Clement would engineer the new face on the wings rather than Barrow, thus pushing the Gambian international further below the pecking order. In a scenario like this one, it is important for an aspiring Championship side to lure Barrow to their ranks.
For quite some time now, Aston Villa are crying for an attacker with the element of raw pace running up and down the flanks. Barrow ticks a lot of boxes for a good winger, though there are still lots of rough edges that need chiselling before there is an upward move in his stature. Nonetheless, he would be an astute acquisition for Bruce who is in a dire need to grab someone like him to bolster their attacking endeavours.
