Southampton will reportedly sell Charlie Austin but will he stay in the Premier League with Villa or drop down to the Championship with West Bromwich Albion?
With Charlie Austin attracting interest from clubs in the first and second tier of English football, the Southampton striker has a decision to make.
Does he want to merely be a squad player for a Premier League outfit, spending the 2019/20 sitting on the bench after starting just 11 top flight games for The Saints last season? Or is he willing to make a step down and be the main man for a Championship outfit with a title in their sights?
According to the Sun, Southampton are willing to sell Austin for £8 million this summer. And Midland rivals Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion are set to go head-to-head for a player who stumbled down the pecking order at St Mary’s after Ralph Hasenhuttl arrived in December.
At the age of 29, Austin is reaching the peak years of his career and this is a move he simply has to get right.
Yet everything depends on his mindset. Austin will be fully aware that a move to West Brom could see him reclaim the talisman status he enjoyed at QPR, Burnley and Swindon Town. The old-school number nine will be tasked with filling the void left by Dwight Gayle’s exit and firing the Baggies back into the big time.
It seems very unlikely, however, that Aston Villa want Austin to be their go-to goalscorer, especially with record signing Wesley Moraes on his way from Genk and the club still keen to re-sign Tammy Abraham on loan.
An squad player in the Premier League or a star in the Championship? Your move, Charlie.
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