Aston Villa has recently had some trouble finding strikers, but it seemed as though their problem had been resolved when Danny Ings was unexpectedly acquired last summer.
It was thought that he and Ollie Watkins may be the ideal counterbalances for one another throughout the course of the season. He was a seasoned marksman with a rather patchy injury record.
Unfortunately for Villa, this was not the case, and Dean Smith’s managing responsibilities were terminated in November 2021.
Watkins and Ings combined for 18 goals in 65 games last season, which, while not horrible, was much below expectations. Particularly given that the latter most recently outperformed this combined total during the 2019–20 season.
This could therefore explain Steven Gerrard’s reported interest in Spanish striker Raul de Tomas, as Pete O’Rourke told FootballFanCast:
Villa has been successful in the past several transfer windows, bringing in Coutinho as well as Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara just this summer.
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Therefore, they have the power to travel to Europe and sign the greatest players there. And if De Tomas received a job offer, I have no doubt that he would seriously consider accepting it at Villa.
The Spaniard scored 17 goals in the league last year alone, helping Espanyol to a comfortable 14th-place finish. His team’s survival depended heavily on his goals, as he was by far the club’s leading scorer with more than double the next highest scorer’s four goals.
If he had been playing for Aston Villa, his average SofaScore rating of 7.09 would have placed him equal second, much above the 6.80 of the £100k-per-week Ings last season.
De Tomas would drastically strengthen Gerrard’s team, and he can finally get rid of what must be considered a very bad acquisition. At age 30 and reportedly purchased for £25 million, Ings has minimal market worth and will only get worse as his lightning-fast speed and agility dwindle.
James Dodd described the 27-year-old as “great” and “emphatic” and said that he was approaching his peak. He can provide all that Ings was anticipated to bring and more, and for under £30 million, he is comparable to the cost of Ings’ original purchase.
Gerrard should swoop to secure his signing and in the process axe the Englishman who has failed to deliver at Villa Park.
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