OPINION
Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed that Southampton striker Charlie Austin has been made available for a transfer ahead of the summer window – and that opens the door for Aston Villa to revive their interest in the 29-year-old.
According to the Telegraph, Villa wanted to sign Austin in the January transfer window as they wanted to bolster their strikeforce and also have a long-term plan in place for when Tammy Abraham eventually returns to Chelsea at the end of his loan spell.
Wolves were also said to be keen on signing Austin and they may also be on alert once again after Hasenhuttl made it clear that the former QPR and Burnley striker is going to be looking for a new club in the summer transfer window.
“Charlie is very clear on the situation that in the summer he must find another option where he plays more often. It depends how much he wants to play,” said the Saints boss, as quoted by Sky Sports via their live transfer blog on Tuesday [08:22am].
“If he comes to me and says, ‘Manager it was very nice to help you, it was very nice to be successful with your team, but I want to play more minutes and that’s why I want to leave.’ I’m the last guy who says you cannot.
“For every situation we find a solution and hopefully the best for the team and for him.”
Aston Villa are yet to know what division they will be playing in next season after confirming a spot in the play-offs by beating Millwall on Monday.
Dean Smith is likely to wait for clarity over the 2019/20 campaign before making moves in the transfer market, however Austin is someone who could shine for Villa in both the Premier League or the Championship if they can strike a deal with Southampton.
Austin has been prolific in front of goal in both of England’s top-flights.
In 104 Premier League appearances he has scored 34 goals, which is not a bad return when he has mainly been used as a fringe player at Southampton lately and has played for teams that are always trying to fend off relegation.
Austin has averaged around one goal in every two appearances for both QPR and Burnley and while that ratio has dipped at St Mary’s, it is clear that it’s a place where he isn’t wanted anymore and a move to Villa Park could reignite that goalscoring form he found at Loftus Road and Turf Moor.
It should not be too hard to lure the £70,000-a-week [Spotrac] striker away from Southampton and Villa are bound to be able to meet his wage demands due to their owners being some of the richest in the land.
Abraham is unlikely to be a Villa player next term so finding a proven replacement is going to be key to either a new bid for promotion or a battle against relegation from the Premier League.
Austin has proven in his career that he can do both and he would be the perfect summer addition for Villa in the summer.