Report explains a key reason Aston Villa signed Lewis Grabban

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Steve Bruce brought Lewis Grabban to Aston Villa from Bournemouth during the January transfer window.

Lewis Grabban notched his first goal in Aston Villa colours from the penalty spot in Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw with Preston North End.

But it was not just his ability to hit the back of the net that encouraged Villa boss Steve Bruce to snap up the 30-year-old striker on a loan deal from Bournemouth on transfer deadline day.

As reported by the Birmingham Mail, Grabban’s versatility was also an attribute that really appealed to Bruce.

The former Norwich City striker prefers to play through the middle as a central striker, where he scored 12 times in 18 starts on loan at Sunderland before Christmas, but he has shown an ability to flit anywhere across the forward line during his storied career in the lower leagues of English football.

Introduced alongside powerful front man Keinan Davies at half time against Preston, Grabban was tasked with filling in on the right wing and he did not look out of his depth for a moment.

He is an intelligent and mobile player and his ability to drift inside and link with the central striker caused problems for Alex Neil’s Lilywhites in the second half at Villa Park.

So with Villa looking a little stale right now, picking up one point from their last two games after winning the previous seven in a row, Bruce will be hoping that Grabban can spark the Midland giants back into life.