According to The Mirror, Aston Villa could look to swap Danny Ings for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Yves Bissouma during the summer transfer window.
Ings made the move to Villa from Southampton last year, and while he has not been a total failure, the Midlands outfit will have expected more given the £25m they spent to capture his services. Two of his five goals came in the first two Premier League games of the campaign, meaning he has only managed three in the subsequent 21 top-flight outings.
Now, it is being reported Villa may look to cut their losses and use Ings to capture midfield target Bissouma. The Brighton midfielder is hot property, having attracted interest from across the Premier League, but the south coast side’s struggles in front of goal this term – only Burnley and Norwich City have found the back of the net on fewer occasions – may convince them to take Ings in exchange for their prized asset.
What impact could Ings’ potential departure – and a Bissouma arrival – have on Villa? We take a look at two possible consequences.
Dominant midfield arrival
Interestingly, it has been claimed that Gerrard is desperate to sign a deep-lying midfielder so that Douglas Luiz can operate higher up the field. Therefore, Bissouma could be the man to give Gerrard what he and Luiz want.
This term, Villa rank 13th amongst the 20 Premier League clubs in terms of tackles won on average per game. If the Villans really do want to move up the table, they may need to add a bit more bite into the middle of the park to go with the flair players they possess.
Bissouma has averaged 3.1 tackles per game in the league this term, which is only bettered by Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi (min. 15 apps). He also sits in the top 10 in the interceptions table, too, which shows he may possess the fight required to make Villa a far harder team to beat. With nine goals conceded in their last four games, they could do with some tightening up.
Different formation
Since Gerrard’s arrival at the 1982 European champions, he has mainly deployed a 4-3-1-2 system. Ings and Ollie Watkins have often led the line as the manager looked to get two of his main attacking threats into the same starting lineup.
However, 29-year-old Ings’ exit could well lead to a formation change, with just a lone striker rather than a duo up top. As per Transfermarkt, Gerrard has set up with just one centre-forward on six occasions, and Villa have been on the losing just once under this system. That is perhaps an indication it is a style the boss should pursue more often.
TIF Verdict…
On the pitch, £31.5m-valued Bissouma would no doubt be a fantastic addition to Gerrard’s side. He has proven himself as a talented Premier League midfielder and his energy in the middle of the park could be put to very good use.
Would you swap Ings for Bissouma?
Yes
No
Villa, though, must keep in mind Bissouma remains under investigation following an allegation of sexual assault made last year. Off-the-field behaviour cannot be brushed under the carpet no matter how good the player in question is, and Christian Purslow and co may want to see how the Mali international’s case develops before making their move.