Aston Villa’s late dash for earning a playoff spot has come a little too late. With 5 wins in their last 6 league games in the Championship, the Villans have climbed as high as 12th on the league chart but are still 11 points behind sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday, which is the last spot for earning a chance to get back to the Premier League.
The ongoing campaign is unlikely to yield substantial dividends for Steve Bruce’s outfit which registered a sporadic run of form until late February, thus implying that another season in the second tier next time around is imminent. The summer transfer window would be a huge one for Bruce to get his side back into the important scheme of things.
The former Hull City manager must have already started to jot down his wish-list comprising of gettable targets in the summer and if the reports are to be believed, Aston Villa have put Southampton’s youngster, Sam Gallagher, on their radar to boost their attacking armoury. The 21-year-old is personally enjoying a fruitful campaign with Blackburn Rovers and has emerged as one of the finest talents from the second tier of English football this term.
Gallagher has accumulated 35 appearances for the Blue and Whites, scoring 10 goals and registering 1 assist to his name apart from making 0.5 key passes and 0.7 dribbles every game on an average. Despite being in a tender age group, the Englishman has showcased excellent calibre and consistency in what has turned out to be a dismal season for the Riversiders and thus, Aston Villa’s interest to lure him to the Villa Park does make perfect sense.
A modern day footballer who can ply his trade as a centre-forward, left sided midfielder as well as a central attacking midfielder, Gallagher is a complete package up front. He boasts of a commendable aerial presence, is excellent with his first touches, possesses a notable technique while performing his duties and no wonder he has been seen as the silver lining in Blackburn Rovers’ abject campaign.
Gallagher’s contract confining him to St. Mary’s expires in the summer and if Bruce strives for a deal early, he might just have the first-mover’s advantage. Considering his age, he is only likely to brush up and improve himself and without any shadow of a doubt, if the deal materialises, Aston Villa would be laying their hands on a striker who has shown that he could be a very shrewd buy.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
