Aston Villa may look to the World Cup for potential striker targets, but may have to wait until the summer to make a marquee signing.
That is the opinion of journalist Pete O’Rourke, who was speaking to This is Futbol about the latest transfer news from Villa Park during the World Cup break.
With new head coach Unai Emery having taken over at the club at the beginning of the month, Villa may look to the January market in a bid to build a squad in the Spaniard’s mould.
One suggested transfer target has been that of Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson, in which journalist Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT that the West Midlands giants could edge out fellow Premier League side Newcastle United, due to the Senegalese’s previous relationship with Emery at the La Liga side.
However, O’Rourke believes that it will be difficult for Villa to sign a marquee striker in January, with the clubs not tending to want to part with their prized assets mid-season.
“As we’ve mentioned previously, it’s not easy to land those marquee signings in January because the selling club preferably would not want to sell.
“So maybe Villa might have to wait until the summer for that.
“But I’m sure the scouts and recruitment team will be looking at the World Cup to see if there’s any strikers that may jump to the fore and maybe come up with a list of targets.”
TIF Thoughts on O’Rourke’s comments…
We believe that Villa fans will be eagerly watching the World Cup this month, and identifying which players they could potentially make a move for in the January window.
However, as O’Rourke says, it will be difficult for Villa to recruit a top-class striker in the new year, with the clubs being less willing to sell their best players, especially if the said player is involved in a title, European, or relegation battle.
Therefore, we think that Villa may have to stick with Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins for the remainder of the season, before they can really start to get excited about the arrival of a top-class striker next summer.