Villa set to miss out on Southampton star but do they need a striker?

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Birmingham are set to beat Aston Villa to Southampton’s Sam Gallagher but with the youth stepping up do they need another striker?

Birmingham City are set to beat rivals Aston Villa to the loan signing of Southampton’s Sam Gallagher, reports the Birmingham Mail, with the 21-year-old having also attracted the interest of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The same newspaper reported that Villans manager Steve Bruce was on the search for a new striker after describing his attack as “toothless” following a 2-1 Championship defeat to Reading.

Sam Gallagher of Blackburn Rovers controls the ball from Jake Bidwell of Queens Park Rangers.

Topscorer from last season Jonathan Kodjia is currently out injured, Scott Hogan has struggled for form and Ross McCormack is out of favour at the club and is expected to join Sunderland on loan – according to the Sunderland Echo.

It was perhaps this disappointment in his forwards that saw Bruce give 19-year-old Keinan Davis his first start for the club at the weekend and the youngster repaid that faith with an impressive performance in which he set up the first of Conor Hourihane’s hat-trick during a 4-2 win against Norwich City and also hit the bar.

With the Mirror reporting in May that Villa’s transfer budget this summer was just £1m in order not to breach Financial Fair Play rules landing a new striker could prove difficult, but with the academy producing such talent perhaps they don’t need to.

“There’s a myth I’ve spent hundreds of millions of pounds,” Bruce told Channel 5’s Championship programme after the Norwich game. “The club has over the past few years.

“We’d like to spend a bit more but we’re under certain restraints. So it’s good to have that sprinkling of youngsters which we’ve seen today.”

Rushian Hepburn-Murphy (R) and Keinan Davis of Aston Villa salute the travelling fans at the end of the Carabao Cup First Round match against Colchester United.

Davis’ fellow 19-year-old Andre Green was also on target against the Canaries as part of a youthful attack that also included 20-year-old Tottenham Hotspur loanee Josh Onomah.

With highly rated 18-year-old Rushian Hepburn-Murphy also waiting for his callup from the Under-23s, perhaps Bruce does not need a new forward after all.