Everybody expected Aston Villa to build on the success from last season, and Martin O’Neill was supposed to further reinforce the squad. Nevertheless, Villa fans cannot be pleased with club’s dealings in the transfer market so far, considering they stayed without influential Gareth Barry, whereas O’Neill is set to sign injured Steve Downing, whose career has taken the wrong turn lately. The fee is reported to be around £12 million, which is a lot for a player who was far from impressive last season. A gamble or bargain? Time will tell.
Villans have not really been very active in this transfer window but it seems that all of their deals will cause a major debate. They first sold Gareth Barry to free-spending City, before spending a lot of money on Stuart Downing. As I have already said, the player is still injured and he won’t be back before October, but it seems that Martin O’Neill is confident Downing can rediscover his form that led him to becoming England international.
Downing comes from relegated Middlesbrough and an utterly average season for him. Two league goals and 5 assists are very disappointing record for someone who is expected to replace phenomenal Ashley Young and the winger will have to do much better if he is to become a success at Villa. Considering the money invested in him, Downing would be expected to make instant impact, which is going to be extremely difficult after returning from injury.
The player has been very inconsistent since making it to the big stage and he is no longer a youngster who can be tolerated certain discrepancy in performances. There is no doubts he is a talented player, but how many talented players we have seen go down the drain. My opinion is that Martin O’Neill has made a big mistake and that Downing will fare no better than at Boro, but maybe the boss has got some shrewd plan we have no knowledge of.
Popularity: 4% [?]
No Comment
Random Post
Leave Your Comments Below