Aston Villa reportedly want to sign Emi Buendia from Premier League relegation rivals Norwich City during the January transfer window.
As Aston Villa have discovered, there is only so many times you can be content with playing attractive, tidy football without the points to show for it.
And with Dean Smith’s side now firmly entrenched in a relegation battle after being outclassed by fellow Premier League newcomers Sheffield United on Saturday, a once-promising season is rapidly descending into a battle for survival.
Villa have won just one of their last seven top flight games and, despite the considerable talents of Jack Grealish and John McGinn, a lack of cutting edge in the centre of the park has started to become a real concern.
Back in November, Aston Villa’s interest in Norwich City playmaker Emi Buendia, as reported by Sky Sports, might have raised plenty of eyebrows. But anyone who watched a toothless Villa side swept aside by a far superior Sheffield United team at Bramall Lane will tell you, Smith is crying out for a man capable of opening up an opposition backline with a perfectly weighted through ball.
That is exactly what Buendia did on Saturday, carving apart Leicester City’s usually watertight defence to serve up a goal for Teemu Pukki during a well-deserved 1-1 draw at the King Power.
For all of Norwich’s struggles, the all-action Argentine has five Premier League assists to his name already, more than Grealish, McGinn, Conor Hourihane and Anwar El Ghazi. Buendia looks back to his best too, putting that crucial error against Watford behind him to give Norwich renewed hope of a great escape.
So it goes without saying that The Canaries will do everything to stop him joining a relegation rival midway through the season.
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