Aston Villa welcome Fulham to Villa Park on Saturday.
It’s three years since Steve Bruce, the new Aston Villa manager, allowed Tom Cairney to leave Hull City for Blackburn Rovers, in which time the now Fulham midfielder has blossomed into one of the Championship’s best.
In 12 appearances for the Cottagers, who travel to Villa Park on Saturday, Cairney has scored or assisted five of his side’s goals – a tally which no midfielder at either club can currently match.
| Team | Goals + Goal Assist | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Cairney | Fulham | 5 | 12 | 1,048 |
| Jack Grealish | Aston Villa | 3 | 10 | 770 |
| Stefan Johansen | Fulham | 3 | 4 | 237 |
| Kevin McDonald | Fulham | 3 | 10 | 870 |
| Albert Adomah | Aston Villa | 1 | 6 | 428 |
| Mile Jedinak | Aston Villa | 1 | 8 | 685 |
| Aaron Tshibola | Aston Villa | 1 | 6 | 406 |
The middle of the park is an area in which Villa have perhaps most struggled to strike a balance this season, with Ashley Westwood, Aaron Tshibola and Gary Gardner taking it in turns to nail down a spot alongside summer signing Mile Jedinak – with none succeeding so far.
Cairney, however, would be an automatic pick on current form, and could be the January refuel Villa require on their ascent towards the Championship’s upper reaches – if they aren’t there already by then.
The Nottingham-born playmaker is unlikely to come cheap – having been signed by Fulham for £3 million 14 months ago – but for a club like Aston Villa, who broke the division’s transfer record this summer, that shouldn’t be much of an issue.
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