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Has Aston Villa missing out on Sam Gallagher been a blessing in disguise?

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Aston Villa were interested in Sam Gallagher in the summer, but missed out as he instead joined Birmingham City on loan.

Sam Gallagher of Blackburn Rovers controls the ball from Jake Bidwell of Queens Park Rangers during the Sky Bet Championship match between Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park Rangers at Ewood...

Back in August, the Express and Star reported that Birmingham were on the verge of beating both Aston Villa and Wolves to the signing of Southampton striker Sam Gallagher with the Blues willing to pay his £2 million asking price to take him on a season-long loan.

Steve Bruce may, at the time, have felt that missing out on the deal for the 21-year-old may have been a blow, especially as they struggled for goals from their forwards during the opening weeks of the season.

Manager of Aston Villa Steve Bruce during the pre season friendly match between Aston Villa and Watford  at Villa Park on July 29, 2017 in Birmingham, England.

But perhaps, Bruce can now reflect that not signing the Saints youngster has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Villans.

Gallagher has not exactly caught the imagination at St Andrew’s, having scored just once in his first seven Championship appearances for the Blues, who currently find themselves in the relegation zone in the second tier.

Sam Gallagher of Blackburn Rovers and Andreas Bjelland of Brentford during the Sky Bet Championship match between Brentford and Blackburn Rovers at Griffin Park on May 7, 2017 in Brentford,...

Meanwhile, Villa have bounced back from their own lacklustre start to the campaign and appear to have found their own young striker that they can be excited about.

Keinan Davis has been excellent since he came into the side this season, scoring twice in the league and also contributing an assist during his eight appearances.

With Southampton only willing to sell Gallagher for £13 million, according to the Express and Star, Villa would have probably only been able to sign him on loan had they won the race to land him, so Bruce can surely reflect that they have probably bagged the better end of the deal.

Unlike Birmingham, Villa have their young striker on their books permanently, and the early signs suggest that he is set for a very bright future indeed.