According to The Telegraph, Southampton striker Charlie Austin has been tipped to leave the club this month. This has reportedly interested quite a few clubs, with Wolves and Aston Villa interested in landing the Englishman.
After the disappointment of not being able to qualify for the Premier League last season, the Villans would look to make another attempt at making it into the top tier under the tutelage of Dean Smith. However, they are currently far away from where they want to be as they are stranded at the 13th position on the league table.
The Villans are evidently in need of inspiration up front and this is where Austin comes into the fray. The former Queens Park Rangers striker has not been in the best of form in the Premier League, but with his rich experience of playing in the Championship, the Englishman could be a handy option for Smith to provide his side with the much-needed impetus.
Given the fact that Aston Villa already have a quality striker in the form of Tammy Abraham on loan, who has performed exceptionally well for them this season, one might reckon that the Southampton ace would come into the Championship side as a backup for the young striker.
However, given the fact that the Englishman has spent a lot of time playing against teams in the Championship, Smith could also hand him a starting spot alongside Abraham to lead the line at Villa Park.
Despite having a lot of experience of playing in English football, the 29-year-old striker’s form has not been that great in the last couple of seasons. The player has been able to notch up only three goals so far this season and has evidently fallen down the pecking order under current manager Ralph Hasenhuttl. This could be a warning sign for the Villans in their chase for Austin’s signature with doubts arising about whether the player would be able to deliver the goods for them or not.
The poor performance of their side resulted in the Villans sacking their former manager Steve Bruce, under whose tutelage they reached the playoffs in the last season. The appointment of Dean Smith, however, has not made much difference for them as they are in dire need of an inspirational figure in their squad. With the cumulative experience of more than 300 matches behind him, Austin could give the Villans that much needed edge over their opponents to turn their campaign around if they opt to land him this January.
