Aston Villa’s Ashley Westwood has been linked with Burnley.
Aston Villa’s Ashley Westwood scores their second goal
Amid the latest speculation surrounding Ashley Westwood’s future, now would be the right time for Aston Villa to cash in on the player and look to build their midfield around a future signing.
According to a recent report in the Lancashire Telegraph, Burnley are intersted in signing the Villa man though his reported weekly wage of near £35,000 per week could cause a potential stumbling block.
Villa only handed the former Crewe man a new five-year deal last summer, yet it utimately turned out to be another costly error for the club as 12 months on his salary now is far too big for a Championship side.
Aston Villa’s Ashley Westwood in action with Southampton’s Oriol Romeu
While the West Midlands club have no desire to make their stay in the second tier a long one, Westwood’s performances for the club over the past 12 months haven’t exactly been of Premier League standard.
The 26-year-old often cut a frustrated figure in the middle of the park, averaging 1.9 tackles, 1.8 interceptions and an 82.9% pass-accuracy rate per league encounter.
Some could argue Westwood wasn’t exactly given the best opportunity to shine in a rather poor side, yet his performances weren’t up to standard and at times his attitude was also lacking which doesn’t bode well ahead of what will be a tough Championship campaign.
On the condition a deal could be reached, Villa may be better off cutting ties with the midfielder and looking for a replacement who both knows the Championship and could potentially play in the top-flight.
Leicester City’s Matty James could be seen as a possibility, or if the club feel more ambitious perhaps a move for a direct rival such as Brighton’s Dale Stephens or Derby County’s young duo Will Hughes or Jeff Hendrick.
The Villains have a big summer ahead of them, and new boss Roberto Di Matteo’s biggest task will be shaping a squad with the right mentality and frame of mind for a long, tough Championship campaign.
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