Barnsley winger Marley Watkins has been one of the most underrated players in the Championship this season – no wonder Aston Villa are keen.
The fact that Aston Villa finished in the bottom half of the Championship table does not reflect well on the club’s recruitment policy. Especially when you consider that they spent around £70 million on new players in both the summer and winter transfer windows.
From overpaying massively on the likes of Aaron Tshibola, Pierluigi Gollini and Tommy Elphick to spending well over £30 million on strikers alone, including the most expensive player in Championship history, Jonathan Kodjia, (BBC) it’s clear that it’s not the amount of funds that counts but how you spend it.
Although with Villa eyeing up a move for soon-to-be free-agent Marley Watkins, as reported by the Birmingham Mail, the club could be closing in on their first bargain signing since owner Tony Xia took over from Randy Lerner last summer.
Marley and Me
The 26-year-old has been a star player in an impressive return to the Championship for Paul Heckingbottom’s Barnsley, netting 10 goals and producing another nine assists.
And, with his contract expiring at the end of the season, there will surely be no shortage of suitors – especially for clubs like Villa who are in need of extra cutting edge and goals from midfield.
Therefore, if Villa convince Watkins to follow Connor Hourihane and James Bree from Oakwell to the Midlands, they would be in a rather unique position of signing a proven Championship talent without burning a hole in their owner’s bank balance.
Whoever manages to pick up Watkins on a free this summer will be pulling off an inspired bargain. But his availability represents a perfect opportunity for Aston Villa to show that they can use the transfer market intelligently.
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