Aston Villa have already brought one striker through the doors as another could soon be following.
Rio Ave manager, Carlos Carvalhal, has commented on Aston Villa’s interest in his striker, Mehdi Taremi, and seemingly suggested he could leave as he confirmed clubs in Portugal and England are keen on him.
Former Swansea boss, Carvalhal, was live on Sky Sports when he was asked about Villa’s interest in his player and he began waxing-lyrical about Taremi’s qualities and how he first brought him to Portugal.
Sky Sports recently claimed that Villa are keen on Taremi’s services after they secured the signature of Genk hitman, Mbwana Samatta.
But speaking to Sky Sports News (21/01/20 at 6:05 pm), Carvalhal shared that Sporting, Benfica and Porto have also asked about his player, as well as teams in England. He also hinted that a player of his qualities might not be where he currently is for much longer.
“Taremi is a striker from the national team of Iran,” Carvalhal told Sky Sports. “I know him very well because the national team coach was Portuguese, Carlos Queiroz, so I followed Iran often. I liked the player [when I first saw him] and I think he’s an extra player.
“He played a long time in Iran and last season he moved to Qatar. I was in Qatar last year for one week and I saw the player again and I remained excited about him.
“But I never expected to bring him to Rio Ave’s because of the difference between the money Rio Ave can pay to the money he can receive in Qatar was big.
“But I convinced him [to join Rio Ave]. He’s all about the personality. He doesn’t care about money. He wants to show his abilities in Europe. It’s a challenge to him.
“Never a player like that would be in Rio Ave [for long], so it’s normal now I believe Sporting, Benfica and Porto are looking at him. I don’t believe. I am sure because they are asking for information about him. And I also believe that English teams are looking at him.
“He’s a good striker. He’s a fast player. Good header. He plays very well to connect the game. He’s a player that receives very well the ball behind the defences because he has good timing to receive the ball. And he scores a lot of goals. He’s a quality player.”
It remains to be seen whether Villa will push for the signature of the Iran international, with the transfer window due to slam shut next Friday.
There’s no doubt that Villa and their manager Dean Smith need another extra pair of legs through the doors before deadline day.
Whilst the fans will be pleased that the club finally have signed a striker in Samatta, another is still needed given that he is the only senior forward on their books currently.
Villa will next be in action against Leicester City in the League Cup semi-final second leg on Tuesday before they start February with an away clash at Bournemouth.
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