Alan Nixon, a renowned journalist has recently revealed on Twitter that Aston Villa have joined the chase to secure the signature of Liverpool forward Sheyi Ojo in the dying embers of this transfer window. Various sources have confirmed the interest as genuine with Villa looking to bolster their ranks on the transfer deadline day.
The English prospect has been a bright spark in the Reds pre-season matches and displayed some glimpses of what he is capable of in fits and starts. However, he is far from the finished product and needs to get some regular game time under his belt during the upcoming season to continue with his development.
Villa can benefit from the services of someone as promising as Ojo. Here is our detailed scout report on the Reds wonderkid.
The Origin Of Ojo
The Hemel Hempstead born starlet graduated from the Milton Keynes Academy and showed enough potential to attract the attention of Liverpool. He completed a switch to Merseyside in November 2011 and played for a little over three years in the Reds Under-18 team. The Merseyside outfit finally decided to loan him to Wigan Athletic in the winter transfer period of 2015 for the remainder of that season.
Upon his return, the Reds decided to send him out on loan again, this time to Wolves, where he caught the eye with some dominant performances at the Molineaux Stadium. Ojo scored three goals and created four assists in 19 matches for the West Midlands club which saw Liverpool recall him at the start of 2016.
The English speedster went on to feature 13 times for the Liverpool senior side, finding the back of the net once while providing four assists in all competitions. Jurgen Klopp was impressed by what he saw in Ojo and decided to give him more experience by sending him out to Fulham last summer. The 21-year-old scored four times and set up two goals in 24 appearances for the Cottagers last season. He is now back at the Merseyside looking to prove his worth in the following campaign.
The Versatility of Ojo
The Reds prodigy is primarily accustomed to playing on the right side of the front line. However, he is also well-equipped to operate on the left flank or play in a number 10, attacking midfield role if given the freedom to express his talents. Klopp has often used him in a free-roaming midfield role during the Reds’ pre-season matches so far.
The Good And The Bad
Ojo can beat any defender in a foot-race as he is quite pacy while running down the channels and is equally adept at dribbling with the ball. At such a young age, the English youngster links up well with his teammates through his short, crisp passes while also taking up the right positions in the attacking areas.
However, the 21-year-old still has a lot to learn and needs to work on some aspects of his game. His finishing is pretty ordinary while he fails to hit the target quite often when taking shots from range. Ojo lacks the composure required to be productive in front of goal but hopefully, with time, he can become better at decision-making and can be more efficient in the final third.
Ojo’s Scorecard
Pace – 8.5/10
Blessed with incredible speed and acceleration.
Dribbling – 7.5/10
Quite agile with his game while taking up good positions in the wide areas and is also comfortable with the ball at his feet.
Passing – 7/10
Links up play well and is quite accurate with his short passes.
Physicality – 6/10
Can shield the ball effectively but needs to develop his upper strength considerably to make it at the highest level.
Is Ojo The Right Fit For The Villans?
Villa boss Steve Bruce prefers to deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation quite often. Hence, the addition of someone like Ojo could mean that the English prospect would be asked to take up an attacking role anywhere behind the front striker. The possibility of a mouth-watering attacking trio of Sheyi Ojo, Jack Grealish and Albert Adomah has the potential to light up the Championship and could help the Villans push for a promotion spot next year.
Even if it’s on a loan deal, Bruce should look to snap up Ojo as he could be the man to fire the West Midlands club back to the Premier League this season.
