Aston Villa could be on the lookout for a new striker in January and Celtic ace Leigh Griffiths fits the bill.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce’s first priority in the January transfer window will surely be to add a new striker to his side’s promotion chase, after a number of injuries have left him with little firepower.
Jonathan Kodjia, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Scott Hogan are all suffering with long-term injuries, with the latter returning to the substitutes’ bench on Saturday afternoon after undergoing a stomach operation.
Out-of-contract forward Agbonlahor, who will be available on a free at the end of the season, has failed to feature since August after suffering a calf injury while Ivory Coast international Kodjia is nursing an ankle problem.
It has left Bruce with no choice but to start teenager Keinan Davis as his attacking spearhead, and although the 19-year-old has impressed when leading the line, he has managed just two goals in 19 league and cup outings this term.
A new striker should be brought to Villa Park if Bruce has any chance of earning a fifth career promotion from the Championship, and his attention should turn north to Scotland, as Celtic ace Leigh Griffiths continues to be overlooked.
BT Sport pundit Stephen Craigan described the 27-year-old striker as being “banished” by Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers, after being left on the bench during Celtic’s last three matches.
Former Liverpool and Swansea City manager Rodgers has preferred on-loan PSG ace Odsonne Edouard as well as French wonderkid Moussa Dembele, and that could see Griffiths tempted to leave.
The 17-time Scotland international has a ratio of almost one goal in every two games during his time in England, scoring 13 goals in 31 appearances for Championship league leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That kind of goalscoring rate in the claret and blue of Aston Villa would take the pressure of top goalscorer Albert Adomah and give Bruce the kind of fire power he needs to boost his side’s chances of a Premier League return.
The only stumbling block facing Villa would be the length of Griffiths contract in Glasgow, which lasts until 2021. But if Griffiths becomes fed up and looks for a move, Bruce must look to land Celtic’s number nine.
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