Restoring the lost pride is always a tough ask, especially when you have been severely battered and bombarded in the previous season. Not to mention an uneasy start as well to dent the chances, no matter how marginal it was. Steve Bruce is undoubtedly a man with a mission of putting Aston Villa back into the map of the top flight of English football, but after such a dismal start, they need to have a remarkable run in the second half to challenge for the playoff spots.
Bruce has not refrained from taking bold steps and he has derived the most out of what he has at his disposal. Earlier today, Villa completed another marauding step to construct a pavement for elevating the stature of the club by signing Birkir Bjarnason from FC Basel on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
The 28-year-old central midfielder was a member of Basel’s Swiss Super League title winning side last term and is a prominent figure in the Icelandic national outfit. Now, what does he bring with himself to the Villa Park is a very intriguing question.
First and foremost, it must be highlighted that he is a very cunning footballer and plies his trade with noteworthy work-rate. The way he dictates his game with his feet and brain is quite astounding, to say the least. Moreover, Bjarnason is a very versatile player and despite the fact that his conventional position is on the wings, he has been engineered at the heart of his team’s midfield and thus, he maintains a decent equilibrium between attack and defence. Arguably, central midfield is the slot tailor-made for a player like him.
In 13 league games this season, he has scored 4 goals and has bagged 2 assists and more importantly, he has Champions League experience under his belt as well. He has the pedigree, doesn’t he?
The Villans went for a shrewd piece of business this month and haven’t returned empty handed. The Icelander will have to meet huge expectations from the claret and blue faithful in the time to come, though he looks good enough to cater to them.
He has been a regular player, more often than not, in all the teams he has featured in and this move definitely shows how determined Aston Villa are in their bid to ensure that they keep pushing for the play-off berths which could ultimately be their ticket back to the Premier League.
