Steven Naismith was heavily linked with an expensive January move to Aston Villa last season; in the end, they let Norwich City have him.
Tom Fox won’t be remembered too kindly at Aston Villa. From unrealistic soundbites to baffling recruitment drives, the former CEO oversaw arguably the worst period in the club’s history, albeit resigning just a few months prior to their relegation.
However, in his defence, he did save Villa from splurging a substantial sum on Steven Fletcher, a player who, in his own words as reported by the Birmingham Mail, was little more than ‘average’.
Instead, the Scotland international swapped Everton for Norwich City last January for a hefty £8.5 million, the BBC report.
And the diminutive forward, now 30 years of age, has proceeded to find the net just five times in 32 appearances, failing to save The Canaries from relegation last season and unable to spark a promotion bid in the Championship this year.
Steve Bruce’s new Aston Villa formation would be perfect for forgotten flop
While it must be pointed out that Villa’s recruitment appeared to consist of purely ‘average’ players during Fox’s time at the Midlands club, at least they didn’t spend a massive fee on a forward now eating up the wages at a Championship rival.
Villa may be the league’s third lowest goalscorers but there’s little to suggest Naismith would do anything to improve their productivity.
Could Aston Villa new-boy inspire reported target to reject Premier League giants?
If only Fox had been as astute when it came to other areas of his role at Villa Park.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
