The 33-year-old wouldn’t get the pulses racing, but he could offer a presence up top for Aston Villa.
With Aston Villa in the midst of a horrific run of form which has emphatically put an end to any previously ambitious play-off hopes and ramped up the pressure on Steve Bruce, it doesn’t help that the club have only one fit centre-forward on their books, the Birmingham Mail reports.
Gabriel Agbonlahor and academy starlet Rushian Hepburn-Murphy may not have contributed a goal between them all season, but their injury-enforced absence, coupled with the news that marquee January addition Scott Hogan will be out for a month, means Aston Villa could become even more over reliant on top scorer Jonathan Kodjia.
Bruce has admitted to the Birmingham Mail that he has glanced at the free agents list during this state of emergency, but the availability of the likes of Carlton Cole hardly get one rushing for the cheque book.
Yet, if Aston Villa are in dire need of a short-term solution, perhaps an unattached 33-year-old may not be the worst idea.
Now, bear with us here, but Marouane Chamakh may not be a totally disastrous addition for Aston Villa either. Yes, he may have been released by Cardiff City after two appearances and no goals but, for the odd handful of games, the veteran Moroccan could at least offer an alternative presence up front.
A player whose skill and intelligence in possession belies his typical targetman frame, Chamakh is adept at bringing midfielders into play. Therefore, although he may not exactly set the world alight in front of goal, he could help the likes of Conor Hourihane and Henri Lansbury break the lines and burst forwards from deep.
Furthermore, with Aston Villa often resorting to direct, lump-it-long tactics late on in games, Chamakh’s famed aerial ability could come in handy.
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