Despite Aston Villa’s poor form this season, it seems that one of their players has become a hot property throughout the Premier League.
According to The Daily Mail, a cavalcade of clubs, including Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal are all interested in Christian Benteke, Villa’s big Belgium forward. That’s not a bad list of suitors for a player who is still relatively new to the Premier League.
The fact that he’s been able to stand out, even as Villa have stuttered and stopped this season, is telling. As is the fact that Paul Lambert seems to favour him over England International Darren Bent.
Yes, Lambert hasn’t been at his best at Villa, but his time at Norwich City showed he knows what he’s doing and that he’s a good judge of players.
Benteke already has 11 goals this season and is always a threat, whether the ball is played along the ground, or in the air. Yes, he’s got real aerial presence, but he also has neat feet, a smart change of pace and confidence in front of goal. I’m sure he’d be a fantastic asset for any of the club’s mentioned above.
Yet, it’s unlikely Benteke would come cheap. Lambert signed him for £7.5m from Genk last summer (further evidence that Lambert knows what he’s doing) and has no real reason to sell. Benteke signed a four year contract and gets regular game time at Villa Park. He himself can’t be that unhappy, even if Villa’s current position is disappointing. The only way I can see a deal get pushed through, is if the player forces the issue, or a club comes in with a considerable sum of money.
That more or less cancels out Arsenal, who don’t really need another bulky forward anyways. He wouldn’t get any game-time at Manchester City, who can afford bigger and better players anyway. Liverpool have already signed Daniel Sturridge and probably don’t have enough money to make a move for Benteke happen.
Tottenham on the other hand… Andre Villas-Boas only has two proper strikers in his squad: Jermaine Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor. With the Togo forward’s lack of form, it makes sense that AVB would look to bring somebody else in. The Mail claim that ‘Spurs have shown the strongest interest’ in Benteke and this, for me, is a good sign.
I can only hope that Tottenham push this particular deal through.
What’s your take? Where will Christian Benteke end up?
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Might be wrong but I’m pretty sure a player cannot play for 3 clubs in one season!
my understanding is that Benteke has already had two clubs this season and would not be able to play for Spurs?
What a load of tosh – lol – would you really want a player who would dump a club who showed trust in his skill by leaving them 6 months later?
I love how people believe half the crap they read online or on twitter.
Benteke to Spurs – i’d say about 5% possible, dont feel too upset when this DOESNT happen 😉
Get your greedy hands off of our striker. He’s already played for two teams this season so FA rules clearly state he can’t play for a third. Does anyone think for two seconds on transfer deadline day?
Even if he did move it would take over £25 million to get him at this stage and anything Villa receive for Benteke through the fax machine is probably going straight into the shredder.
I’m going to give this one a 0% chance of happening. And even that’s optimistic.
£25 million? You mad bruv?If he was THAT good Villa wouldn’t be in as much trouble as they are in.He might score a few goals but he’s partly responsible for just as many going the other way.Villa wouldn’t sell him now anyway but if they did in the summer do you really think he’s worth the same sort of money as Van Persie.£12 million….tops! He’s got potential but he aint no where near there yet and getting beaten every week aint helping his development one bit.How a player his size can be so dismal at defending corners and set pieces is beyond me.
cannot happen
he is under 24
& has played for 2 clubs already
There is NO CHANCE of this happening! You can have Bent though!!
utter nonsense, can you really see villa selling Benteke when you has only been at the club for 5 months and is one of their few shining lights at the minute…. get real… lazy journalism this was reported days ago as well!!!!
He played some games for Genk earlier in the season so under FIFA and UEFA rules he can’t play for a third club in the same season. Non story.
No one can buy Benteke in this window as he has already played for two clubs this season and cannot play for another.
If I was Lambo and got an enquiry about the big fella it’d take more than that £25m stated above to get him.
It’s all context shevyiddo. For Villa there’s absolutely zero reason to sell, player is happy at Villa and if we did sell him we’re definitely down. Therefore, you have to compensate us and really it’d be something more Andy Caroll-esque to manage that. It’s nothing to do with his actual worth
This speculation is lame journalism. NO truth in it at all
Shevy
Shevyyiddo, I think you are the one that is mad, Look at how much Man City have spent on players, Look at Carrol to Liverpool in a 32m deal, or how about Darren Bent at the age of 26 came to Villa on a 24m transfer deal.
Benteke has already played for two clubs this season so he cannot play for another club anyway this transfer window, Although just turning 22 and has so much potential, he is the leading striker in the Belgium team, He has tripled his valuation and he is on a long term contract on a relatively cheap wage. You can harp on about RVP on 12m but he is coming to the end of his career and his wages are around 5 times the amount of Benteke.
7.5m he cost Villa and that was a massive risk, now he has proven himself in the Premiership without even learning the language he will become more of a threat the time goes by, he has already been tipped the next Drogba and even Chelsea legends believes the lad can be even better.
You nor anyone else will get Benteke for less than 25m, 22 years of age, strong, powerful, scores great goals, assists with goals, great feet and can out musule any defender in the Premiership, on a 4 year contact he isn’t going anywhere let alone anywhere cheap.