Former Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has claimed that a pay-as-you-play deal for free agent striker Daniel Sturridge could be ‘perfect’ for the Villans.
The Sun reported recently that the 29-year-old is a transfer target for Dean Smith’s side upon their return to the Premier League, with Sturridge having spent time at Villa Park as a youth player.
Bent has had his say: “I think pay-as-you-play would work a lot better,” he told Football Insider. “Maybe the pay-as-you-play, we’ve seen it before with players, it might just kick him into gear. He might be like: ‘I need to get myself out there, even if I’ve got a little niggle I want to play.’
“That could be the perfect deal. His ability doesn’t bother me. He’s got bags of ability, in abundance. You don’t play for Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool if you don’t have the ability. If they can keep him fit, I’d say go all out and get him.”
Terrace Talk
It would seem that this may not be the most popular potential signing with the Villa supporters. Indeed, they don’t seem to share Bent’s point of view at all.
One fan posted on his personal Twitter account saying that he is planning a protest outside Villa Park against the club potentially signing Sturridge. He claimed that the England international is injury prone, would demand high wages and wouldn’t fit in with the club’s ethics after his recent betting misdemeanours.
Another Villa fan ran a poll on his personal Twitter account asking if signing Sturridge was a good or bad idea. The verdict was very much with the latter, with 83% of voters saying it was a bad idea.
Daniel Sturridge: Good or Bad idea for Villa? #avfc
— Cole Pettem (@TalkAstonVilla) July 19, 2019
TiF Tactics – Is Sturridge damaged goods?
The statistics, and indeed much of the viewing from last season, would indicate that the answer to the above question is a resounding yes. Sturridge showed flashes of his former quality towards the start of the last campaign, but quickly reverted to type and was usurped by Divock Origi in the pecking order as the season wore on.
As per WhoScored.com, the former Chelsea man simply didn’t provide much from an offensive point of view last term. He averaged 0.4 key passes, one shot and 0.3 dribbles per game in the Premier League last time out, while scoring only two league goals.
Those are worrying statistics, which make you wonder why Villa would even consider this potential move. The Englishman would appear to be damaged goods at this point, a spent force who the Midlands giants should steer clear of.