Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly battling their local rivals Aston Villa for Aberdeen’s Scottish Premiership ace Scott McKenna.
It is a rather hard sell at the moment claiming that Aston Villa would be a better environment for a promising young player than Wolverhampton Wanderers.
After all, Wolves have taken the Premier League by storm since their promotion in the summer; Nuno Espirito Santo leading an ambitious side to the top half while the prospect of European qualification is not out of the question.
Villa, meanwhile, are without a manager and have won once in ten games, having sacked Steve Bruce on Wednesday. Wolves’ Midland neighbours are also 13th in the Championship.
So why should Scott McKenna choose Villa Park over Molineux, with reports in the Sun (30 September, page 59) claiming that both sides are interested in the £10 million-rated Aberdeen centre-back?
Well, there is the matter of regular first-team football.
Nuno has shown that he is keen to foster a consistency in selection at Wolves, choosing the same starting XI for all seven top flight games this season. Ryan Bennett, Willy Boly and Connor Coady have been established as their back three for a year now, with Belgian international Leander Dendoncker struggling to get into the team.
Villa, meanwhile, have a lack of options in defence with James Chester their only natural centre-back. So, while McKenna risks being a bench-warmer at Wolves, he could be a hugely important player at Villa Park.
But it remains to be seen whether the Premier League factor is key.
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