Several Championship clubs are carefully monitoring the situation of Keinan Davis and are ready to pounce should Aston Villa loan the striker out this summer, per The Athletic.
Dean Smith is assessing his attacking options to add depth behind Ollie Watkins next season. Any new arrival will be told the England international is the first-choice, and accept waiting for their chance to feature.
Wesley Moraes has also been told to utilise the off-season break to come back firing in pre-season. The Villans’ £22m former club-record signing has missed the last 16-months after a major knee injury. But the Brazilian and Davis will have to prove themselves to Aston Villa.
Smith is yet to make a decision on keeping Davis at Aston Villa for next season after he only occupied a bit-part role last term. The 23-year-old started just one of his 15 Premier League appearances, and registered his sole goal and assist in April.
Should Smith look to send the forward out on loan, several Championship clubs will fight to sign him. A host of clubs are keeping careful tabs on developments, ready to pounce if Villa give them the green light.
Davis signed a new contract last September, keeping the £45,000-per-week forward tied down at Aston Villa until 2024. The Birmingham outfit may now look to use his secured future to grant a temporary exit so that he can play regular first-team action next season.
Davis needs to leave Aston Villa on loan
Aston Villa should look positively on the chance to send Davis to the Championship if a promotion-contending side steps forward. He needs to play regular senior football next season after being heavily overlooked throughout Smith’s tenure at Villa Park.
Smith has only started Davis 11 times since Aston Villa named the 50-year-old as Steve Bruce’s replacement in 2018. He has awarded the Villans product minutes in a further 37 games from the bench, but it has only been enough for Davis to score three and assist three.
Davis needs to justify his wage next season, be it at Aston Villa or out on loan. He made an impact toward the end of last term, but his end product has too often lacked. Even if Smith called him ‘exceptional’ in 2019, via the club’s website, he has not lived up to the praise.
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