Aston Villa may be in the market for a new striker this summer.
Aston Villa’s promotion dream ended on Saturday evening as they lost the Championship play-off final 1-0 to Fulham at Wembley Stadium.
Tom Cairney’s first-half goal proved to be the winning goal for the Cottagers, and whilst Denis Odoi was sent off for Slavisa Jokanovic’s men, Villa couldn’t make the one-man advantage count and couldn’t find the equaliser.
Whilst Fulham can celebrate promotion to the Premier League, Villa are now facing up to a third season in the Championship, and may face changes this summer to balance the books and re-tool for another promotion push next term.
With Lewis Grabban only on loan from Bournemouth and questions over the futures of Jonathan Kodjia and Scott Hogan, Villa may need to bring in another striker – and a player Steve Bruce once hailed is up for grabs.
Bruce was quoted by the Daily Mail in January 2017 as saying that striker Jordan Hugill was ‘not easy on the eye, but is very effective’ after he scored twice for Preston North End in a 2-2 draw at Villa.
Since then, Hugill has left Preston for West Ham United, but with just 22 minutes of action since his January move, The Times report that the Hammers are already prepared to cash in on their £10m signing.
Hugill may not be cut out for the Premier League, but he has proven himself as a Championship striker, and Bruce’s previous comments about the 25-year-old show his admiration for the former non-league hitman.
Unless Villa make a big sale, Hugill may have to be a loan target for Bruce, but saving him from his West Ham hell may be a smart move for Villa this summer.
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