Aston Villa, a galvanised force under Dean Smith, are set to return to Premier League next season following an incredible win against Derby County in the playoff final. But the challenge will be tricky for the Claret and Blue as they need to bolster their squad this summer to avoid a straight demotion back to the Championship.
Villa, meanwhile, are in the market for a ‘number 9’ and have joined the queue for the Celta Vigo hitman Maxi Gomez. This is according to Defensor Sporting Club chief Ney Castillo who told this to the Tiempo de Fútbol on Sport 890.
“Me han llamado de España tambien por Maxi Gómez, habría interés del Valencia y del Aston Villa de Inglatera” Ney Castillo en Tiempo de Fútbol.
— Bambino Etchegoyen (@Bambino627) June 6, 2019
The 22-year-old Uruguayan progressed through the youth ranks of Defensor Sporting before breaking into their senior side back in September 2015. An impressive run in the Primera División earned him a high-profile switch to La Liga where he enjoyed a couple of productive campaigns with 17 and 13 goals respectively.
A 26-goal season from Tammy Abraham guided the Villans into meeting their objectives. But the Chelsea loanee has now returned to his boyhood club whereas Jonathan Kodjia, the other centre-forward option, failed to impress enough with just nine goals from 43 appearances altogether.
The young South American striking sensation is one of the brightest prospects in Spain. His progress has been immense, and a host of European heavyweights scouted him persistently over the past few months to monitor his attributes. The player, however, won’t be available in a cut-price deal and rather is valued at around £35m. This is according to the Sun, who claimed this a few months back in a transfer report.
Juanfran, the former Celta ace and a Villa scout these days, spoke highly of Gomez recently fuelling the speculations (as claimed by Marca). His physicality along with excellent finishing and technical traits would see him settling in well in the English environment similar to his compatriot Luis Suarez who is adored as one of the finest centre-forwards ever to have excelled in the Premier League.
Villa must be keen on a rapid reconstruction to gel in and start delivering from the very beginning of the 2019-20 campaign. Although it’s tough to rival the big guns in terms of luring in renowned names, their effort and intent deserve appreciation irrespective of the outcome.
