Reports have emerged that Bournemouth are looking to rival interests of Tottenham Hotspur for Aston Villa winger, Andre Green. The 19-year-old has just returned from a long-term hamstring injury and played in Villa’s 1-3 loss to Peterborough United in the FA Cup.
A product of the Villa academy, Green made his debut against Tottenham in March 2016 as a 17-year-old. Everybody got a glimpse of what he is capable of even though the team lost 2 goals to nil. Green mainly operates from the left wing capable of cutting inside with the dominant right foot. His balance and dribbling abilities make him a nightmare to defend against and have earned him a first-team spot under Steve Bruce over the past year. He appeared in 30 games for the club and registered 4 goals and 4 assists.
Not the most remarkable scoring numbers but clearly he is good enough to play in the senior side and is also just 19 years old. The club who are restricted by the Financial Fair Play rules are reluctant to sell the youngster. The Claret and Blues have climbed themselves back up to the playoff spots after two impressive wins in the Championship, especially the 5-0 thrashing they dealt out to Bristol City.
Bruce’s men are strongly eyeing the automatic promotion spot now that they are just 5 points behind Derby County in the points table and losing crucial players will definitely hinder that ambition.
Bournemouth are facing struggles of their own in the Premier League. They have won just one game in their last 10 league fixtures and are held up from the relegation zone by one point only. This is concerning for Eddie Howe especially as they are about to face Arsenal after their 2-2 draw to Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup.
The starting wingers, Jordan Ibe and Marc Pugh are facing a very dry season, especially the latter. Pugh has not scored a single goal or earned himself an assist in 14 league appearances.
Ryan Fraser is the best option for the Cherries who got the two goals against Everton in the side’s 2-1 win back in December.
With none of the players from the wide areas really forming an attacking presence, it would not be a bad idea to bring in a talent like Green into the side. With a plethora of strikers in the current squad, Howe needs wide men to supply the forwards from the flanks.
Maybe he should meet the £10m or over asking price from the Lions and go all out for the U20 England international.
