Why Aston Villa should go all out Rangers hitman Alfredo Morelos in January
According to The Scotsman, Aston Villa are set to reignite their interest in Rangers hitman Alfredo Morelos when the transfer window reopens in January, with the report suggesting that the Lions are weighing up a £20 million bid for the Colombian.
Morelos, who netted 30 goals in 48 appearances across all competitions for the Gers the last term, was linked with a host of clubs in Europe during the summer transfer window, including Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United and Lille, while suitors from the United States and China were also keen on securing his services. (h/t Scotsman)
Despite such widespread interest, Rangers managed to hold on to their talismanic centre-forward and the Gers have already reaped rich rewards for their efforts earlier in the summer, with Morelos already racking up 13 goals in 17 appearances across all competitions.
The 23-year-old, who joined Rangers from Finnish club HJK Helsinki in 2017, has accumulated an impressive tally of 61 goals and 23 assists in 108 appearances for the Ibrox giants across all competitions and Aston Villa are apparently mulling over a move for him in a bid to enhance their chances of survival in the Premier League.
Despite funding a massive squad overhaul in the summer, Aston Villa have endured a lacklustre start to their Premier League campaign.
The Lions currently languish 18th in the standings after only a solitary victory in their first seven league outings and Dean Smith is very much under pressure to change things as soon as possible.
The Midlands outfit have done pretty well defensively but lack of goals is becoming a real concern for the Villa Park faithful, with club-record signing Wesley Moraes struggling to cope with the demands of playing in the Premier League.
The Brazilian has only found the net twice in seven appearances and his mediocre performances have drawn plenty of criticism from the fans and the media.
However, Smith doesn’t have too many quality options at his disposal to provide Wesley with enough competition, with Jonathan Kodjia and youngster Keinan Davis the only other feasible alternatives in the ranks.
Failure to score enough goals has often been the undoing of promoted teams in the Premier League and Villa could find themselves heading down the same path if things do not change quickly.
Anwar El Ghazi, Jota and Trezeguet have all shown signs of promise but they need to bring in another out-and-out striker in January to solve their goalscoring crisis.
To that end, a move for Alfredo Morelos would definitely make a lot of sense as far as the Lions are concerned, given that he has shown a lot of improvement in recent years.
The 23-year-old 3-cap Colombian international has proven his worth as a bonafide goalscorer at Ibrox and, while goals in Scotland are hardly exchangeable for ones in England, especially in the top-flight, Morelos apparently has the talent to be able to cut the mustard in the Premier League.
A fast, sharp and agile striker with a deadly eye for goal and a knack for creating chances with his incisive passing, Morelos could be the right man to complement a burly target man like Wesley up top, while also ensuring enough competition for places.
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As for the Colombian, the time might just be right for him to take the next big step in his career and a chance to impress in the Premier League at a historically decorated club like Aston Villa should appeal to the 23-yer-old.
All in all, Morelos is likely to be well within Villa’s budget and a move for him in January could be the difference between top-flight survival and the ignominy of relegation.