Aston Villa reportedly want to sign Charlie Austin from Premier League rivals Southampton after West Bromwich Albion missed out.
There is one surefire way to endear yourself to Aston Villa fans with a move to the Midland giants on the cards. And Charlie Austin has done exactly that, turning down a move to West Bromwich Albion before potentially becoming Dean Smith’s latest summer signing, according to the Mirror (July 14, page 67).
One thing is for certain, Austin won’t be a Southampton player by the time the 2019/20 season kicks off.
As reported by the Sun, the former QPR and Burnley talisman has been left out of Southampton’s pre-season and it’s fair to say he wasn’t too happy. Austin apparently launched an ‘astonishing rant’ at head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl, leaving his team-mates stunned and his Saints future pretty much non-existent.
Aston Villa are apparently still interested with Southampton looking for £8 million for a 30-year-old who scored just two Premier League goals last season (the Sun).
And while Villa fans might have concerns about Austin’s injury record and his disappointing 2018/19 campaign in front of goal, not to mention the fact that his old-school style might not mesh perfectly with Smith’s free-flowing, technical style of football, the striker won’t have done his chances of becoming a popular figure too much harm by snubbing their local rivals West Brom.
A fit and confident Austin certainly has the potential to score regularly in the Premier League with the right service, and he is clearly not keen to drop down to the Championship as he enters his final years at the top level.
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