Southampton striker Charlie Austin could be heading out of the South Coast club this summer with Aston Villa reportedly keen on his services.
Aston Villa have had a pretty strong transfer window so far, with eight players signing on the dotted line with the newly-promoted outfit.
One of the standout purchases has been Club Brugge hitman Wesley Moraes, who was purchased for a club-record fee of £22 million, according to the Guardian.
But it seems as though Villa aren’t stopping there when it comes adding fresh legs to their attacking third, with Southampton striker Charlie Austin also being touted to make a switch to the Midlands outfit.
The Sun report that Austin has had a falling out with Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, which involved him ranting at the Austrian, with the 30-year-old on Villa’s radar.
Villa simply cannot push forward with a deal for Austin because they would face one major problem in having him on their books, which is that he doesn’t suit Dean Smith’s style of play.
It is understandable why Villa are looking at a player like Austin. They need that extra depth in their squad, Austin seemingly wouldn’t command a high fee and his experience would be valuable to the 2019 play-off winners.
But if Villa are going to sign a player like Austin then they are better off focusing their attention on a player like Keinan Davis, who would benefit the club a lot more.
Since Hasenhuttl arrived at St Mary’s, Austin saw his game time reduced, with the former QPR man starting just three matches since the turn of the year.
Hasenhuttl has introduced a high-pressing, forwarding thinking and high-intensity game to Southampton – a style which is not too dissimilar to Smith’s at Villa Park – if Austin has struggled to prove his worth in Hasenhuttl’s system then he’ll face the same difficulties with the Midlands outfit.
Whilst Villa do need that extra attacking bite to their forward line, a player like Austin, who has also had his fair share of injuries over the years, isn’t someone they should target.
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