Aston Villa’s wage structure is filled to the brim with players and Steve Bruce will have to make the decision of signing a few while letting go of many. One of the names that he should take a hard close look into is Robert Snodgrass. The 30-year-old is currently on loan away from his parent club, West Ham United and has been a key figure in the Villa lineup this season.
Snodgrass has appeared 26 times in the EFL Championship this season and currently holds the best assist record of 9 along with Luke Freeman, Barry Douglas and Ivan Cavaleiro. He is clearly enjoying his stint with the Villans and would not mind making the move permanent.
The transfer to West Ham United turned out to be a sour affair with the club’s co-owner David Sullivan coming out and criticising the former manager, Slaven Bilic’s tactic to buy older players. This did not sit right with Snodgrass who had reportedly cost the Hammers £10.2m and after a season of just 15 appearances, 2 assists and zero goals, the Scotsman needed to find a different club to play for.
Snodgrass is best suited to either the right wing or as an attacking midfielder. A lethal left-foot paired with an ability to create plays on his own allows Snodgrass to take over the creative role while providing a lot of width to the team’s attack. He has played his entire career in Britain and came into the limelight during his days with Leeds United.
He appeared in 187 games for the Peacocks and netted the ball 41 times along with creating another 40. He even was awarded the Leeds’ Fans Player Of The Year and the Player’s Player Of The Year honours in the 2011/12 season. The Championship side handed him a contract which would have named him the highest paid player within the club ranks, but Snodgrass’ hunger to succeed in the big leagues saw him make the switch to Norwich City.
But unfortunately, the Glasgow-born winger’s career was less than illustrious in the Premier League. He shifted around between Norwich, Hull City and West Ham only to make a return to the second division and flourish.
One would think the Premier League is not his cup of tea, but us fans have seen flashes of brilliance when he had on a Norwich jersey. More often than not, things did no go the Scotsman way in the top division and it has led him to Villa Park in recent times. David Moyes is well aware of his talents and would not mind bringing him in next season.
This makes Snodgrass’ future a bit uncertain now that his heart is set on the Midlands club but at the same time being targeted by the Hammers boss himself.
