Aston Villa are reportedly interested in making a shock move to bring Burnley striker Chris Wood to Villa Park, according to Football Insider.
The lowdown
Enjoying another consistent season for Sean Dyche’s men, Chris Wood has went on to register an impressive 15 goal contributions in 33 outings in 2020/21; 12 goals and three assists [Transfermarkt].
Going under the radar as a player, the New Zealand native has been a constant menace for defenders in recent campaigns. Winning an average of 4.7 aerial duels per 90 minutes, the 29-year-old is a handful for any prospective opposition defender [WhoScored].
Incredibly, he has notched a double figure goal tally for Burnley in every season since joining the Clarets in 2017 [Transfermarkt]. He now finally seems to be gaining the recognition he deserves.
The latest
Aston Villa are looking for another frontman to boost their goalscoring options, whilst leveraging some of the burden away from Ollie Watkins [Lancashire Live].
However, any move may come at a sizeable cost for the Midlands club, as a whopping £30-40 million price tag has been quoted by Football Insider, - they claim a recruitment source has told them that Villa are one of three top Premier League clubs eyeing a move.
The huge price tag may of course throw a spanner in the works with regard to any potential transfer hunt.
The verdict
Without doubt, Chris Wood is the epitome of a consistent footballer who works hard for the team and rarely falters.
Described as ‘excellent’ by manager Sean Dyche, he would undoubtedly be a great addition to the Villa ranks [Burnley Express], and of course offers an entirely different style of play to Watkins with his aerial dominance.
Conversely, to shell out such a sum on someone approaching their thirties would be reckless. Short-termism never ends well in football, whereas younger rumoured targets in the same position could provide more value for money long-term.
Regularly linked with Tammy Abraham, he may be a better option for Aston Villa due to the minimal mileage he has as a footballer comparative to Wood.
In other news, Aston Villa fans have been reacting to an exciting Jack Grealish update.