As reported by Birmingham Mail, Jackie McNamara believes that Aston Villa should take a risk and pay £15 million to sign Rangers forward Alfredo Morelos.
The former Celtic star told Football Insider, “It’s not a lot for the Premier League now, £15million, is it? Championship clubs pay that now which is crazy. They [Villa] won’t see that as a massive gamble.”
Morelos’ success at Rangers
Morelos initially moved to Rangers back in 2017, after impressing in his spell at HJK Helsinki. He never had to look back since, having performed really well during his time in Scotland. In fact, the Colombian is currently regarded as one of the most lethal strikers playing in the UK.
What has made Morelos such a successful striker is his goal-scoring prowess. He is deadly in front of goal and has netted an astonishing 62 goals in just 109 competitive matches for the Rangers.
Fourteen of those goals have come in the ongoing campaign, with eight of them being scored in the UEFA Europa League qualifying stages. He has also netted five league goals, helping Rangers pose a strong challenge to Celtic for the Premiership title this season.
Why big clubs haven’t yet made a move for Morelos?
Considering his goal scoring record, it would appear as a surprise as to why Morelos hasn’t yet been snapped up by a top Premier League club.
However, it is primarily due to his poor disciplinary record. The Colombian is prone to losing his temper in crunch situations, and his lack of patience often gets the better of him. He notably picked up eight yellow cards and was sent off four times in the league last season. As a result, his overall game-time was minimised to just over 2,000 minutes.
That being said, Morelos’ disciplinary record has improved dramatically, of late. The striker is yet to pick up a booking in the seven matches he has played this campaign, which is a massive improvement.
Is Morelos a viable target for Aston Villa?
Aston Villa have struggled to score goals despite looking threatening without possession. Record arrival Wesley has failed to find the back of the net consistently while Jonathan Kodjia has struggled with injuries.
Morelos, in that regard, could be an excellent alternative. The 23-year-old, as evident in his track record, is a lethal goal scorer. His aggressive and robust style of play tunes in well with Dean Smith’s tactical system. And for a fee of just £15 million, signing Morelos could turn out to be a smart piece of investment from Aston Villa.
