Seb Stafford-Bloor has suggested Aston Villa may have been wrong to ‘take a £22m punt on’ Wesley last summer in the hope he would fire them to Premier League safety.
The 23-year-old Brazilian forward became Villa’s record signing having completed a transfer for the player from Belgian side Club Brugge in a deal reportedly worth £22.5m (as per Transfermarkt).
Wesley suffered a cruciate ligament rupture back in January and as a result, has not appeared since their New Year’s Day victory over Burnley for Dean Smith’s side but despite his absence, he has only managed to net six times in 22 appearances this season.
Speaking on a recent edition of the Football Writers podcast, Stafford-Bloor discussed the reasons the club have endured such a difficult season, citing the purchase of Wesley.
He said: “I have to look at the recruiting done over the summer. They were in a difficult spot, because they got promoted with quite a transient set of players – loans, players who weren’t built for the Premier League. They lost, I think, 26 goals when Tammy Abraham went back to Chelsea – that’s very difficult to replace as a newly promoted team. At the same time, I think some of their approach has been a little bit counter-intuitive at times. Also, at the beginning of the season when you need goals, do you take a £22m punt on a player from Belgium?”
Was signing Wesley last summer a mistake?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
According to WhoScored.com, Wesley’s average performance rating in the Premier League this season currently stands at 6.76/10, which when you consider the club’s league position, arguably isn’t too disastrous. However, we believe there is no shying away from the fact that he simply hasn’t scored enough goals.
Smith’s side have scored just 38 goals in the top flight this season and so when you consider that, plus the fact they have the second-worst defensive record in the division, it is no wonder they find themselves fighting for survival with just three fixtures remaining.