Aston Villa’s failure to stump up the asking price for the Middlesbrough striker means Steve Bruce is short of options up top.
His reputation may be tarred after six months more memorable for paper-thin excuses and six-yard sitters than a glutton of goals, but you’d still expect Aston Villa to recoup a fair chunk of the fee they paid Fulham for Ross McCormack. Therefore, their decision to offer Middlesbrough a comparatively measly £6 million for Jordan Rhodes, as reported by the Birmingham Mail, appears all the more baffling.
The publication claims that, despite McCormack looking certain to be forced out while top scorer Jonathan Kodjia is away on international duty and Gabby Agbonlahor remains without a goal in over a year, Villa will not be increasing their offer for the Middlesbrough striker.
The Daily Mail reported that Boro wanted to earn back the £9 million they paid Blackburn for his signature a year ago but Villa’s final bid fell well short of their valuations. And this is unlikely to change, despite the seemingly inevitable sale of the Scotland striker adding extra funds to the coffers.
After McCormack, as well as Jordan Ayew and Rudy Gestede, failed to perform after arriving for large fees, you could see why Villa would be wary about paying top dollar for another centre-forward. After all, there’s a reason why Rhodes has been frozen out on Riverside.
However, the simple fact is that Steve Bruce’s side are in desperate need of a goalscorer capable of transforming their recent draws and 1-0 defeats into victories. Rhodes, a prolific Championship scorer with Rovers, could have been exactly that. Proven, prolific poachers aren’t available often.
Therefore, Villa could be kicking themselves at the end of the season. Especially when another £3 million could be enough to tempt Middlesbrough into a sale.
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