The thrills and spills of the transfer window is nearing its conclusion. But the teams are not done yet this summer and desperately chasing new inclusions to meet their respective season goals. Premier League has always been the most exciting destination for the majority of footballers and a few Championship stars, who were impressive last season, are being chased by the top-flight outfits to bolster themselves further.
The newly-promoted Aston Villa have already spent way more than the £100m figure and managed to tie down most of their preferred options fending off interest from the fellow suitors. Dean Smith, the Villa boss, is still working on a few deals before the window is slammed shut but might suffer a blow in pursuit of his reunion with Brentford’s Neal Maupay.
The Claret and Blue had an edge in the race for the 22-year-old centre-forward until Brighton & Hove Albion popped up as the prime contenders to secure his services, according to Sky Sports. Maupay is valued at around £20m which, however, which would see the Seagulls paying a club-record fee to rope the marksman in.
The dismissal of Chris Hughton shocked many whereas the appointment of Graham Potter remains a surprise despite his progressive philosophy. While Villa are 2/5 favourites to avoid relegation, Brighton are behind by a narrow margin (with 4/9) and only ahead of Newcastle United, Burnley, Norwich City and Sheffield United in the battle of survival. So the race is on between these two sides and you could visit ThumbsUpBonus before investing your money on whom you think would face the dreaded drop.
Maupay, however, is not the only ‘number 9’ Brighton are chasing at the moment. According to AS, they are also after Leganes’ sensation Youssef En-Nesyri as the South Coast side require a prolific goalscorer to drawn an end to their goal-drought having found the net only 35 times in 38 league outings last season.
Florin Andone had a disappointing spell upon joining from Deportivo La Coruña, and it would be too much to ask Glenn Murray to perform week in week out at the age of 35. They, therefore, require to freshen things up in their frontline and the inclusion of Maupay should boost them up with productive returns.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, have tied down Wesley Moraes from Club Brugge to spearhead their attack. Jonathan Kodjia is also there as an outright box poacher which highlights Smith’s strategy of implementing a counter-attacking gameplan with big centre-forwards upfront. But the addition of the ex-Nice and Saint-Étienne star would introduce a new dimension to their attack due to his agility, mobility and the ability to be in the right place at the right time.
Maupay fired in 28 goals last season for the Greater London outfit exhibiting his excellence high up the pitch. His game flourished under the Villa chief who brought him at Brentford, but it’s time for the youngster to experience a fresh challenge elsewhere.
Potter is regarded for his exciting brand of football, and the player needs to prove his mastery in the top tier. He would be benefitted from the move as the Seagulls are now set for their third successive season in Premier League. They have showcased a creative spark as well as intent in their game, and the Bees hitman must be attuned to it to replicate a similar form in the forthcoming future.
