Every Villa fan knows what money needs to be spent on in the January transfer window, and that’s a striker. There have been a lot of reports suggesting Villa’s interest in Ranger’s Alfredo Morelos and Hull’s Jarrod Bowen. I thought I’d look away from these two more obvious transfer targets and try and find other possibilities around Europe.
Habib Diallo- 8 Goals and 0 Assists in 13 League Games
The first striker that could possibly be worth a punt is Metz Senegalese international Habib Diallo. His value has soared this season after starting every game for the Ligue 1 outfit this season and picking up a decent return in goals. His 8 goals in 13 appearances works out to a very respectable 137 minutes per goal, his conversion rate is decent too standing at just over 23%. Unfortunately for Metz, they haven’t as a whole fared as well as Diallo has and sit just above the relegation zone in 17th, so it may be hard to pry him away when he is clearly desperately needed. Transfermarkt values him at £5.4 million, however it would most likely take much more to secure his signature.
He fits the current transfer policy as he is 24 years old and so is young enough to go up in value. He also stands at 6ft1 meaning he would be relatively handy as a direct back up to Wesley. As with many Ligue 1 players however, he could be a gem or turn out to be a complete bust. But as a relatively inexpensive option, he could be worth a pop.
Loren Moron- 8 Goals and 1 Assist in 12 League Games
Moron has been one of the break out stars of La Liga this season, currently sitting as joint second top scorer with 8 goals. Real Betis, Moron’s team, are performing very badly much like Metz in Ligue 1, and are perilously close to the relegation zone. Betis have also only scored 15 goals this season with Moron contributing to 9 of these. This will yet again add value to the Spaniard and thus he could cost a fairly hefty sum if Villa wanted to sign him.
Moron has scored a goal every 109 minutes this season and has a high conversion rate of 40% so if the money was stumped up, Villa would get quality in return. A striker who takes his chances is what Villa need, and that’s what Moron is. He also stands at 6ft2 and so would fit into Smith’s system pretty well.
Jonathan David- 8 Goals and 4 Assists in 14 League Games
19-year-old David is a world class player in the making. His performances for the Canadian national team, along with other young star Alphonso Davies, have even managed to pry the eyes of Canada’s sports media away from Hockey and onto Football at times. 11 goals in 11 games for his country is impressive, but the standard of the opposition has been pretty dire. For his club, Gent, he has also been in scintillating form, contributing to 12 goals in 14 games with a goal every 130 minutes.
David would probably be a very expensive acquisition for the Villans, but the goals and profit in future could be worth every penny. In reality many of Europes top clubs will be sniffing around the youngster, but Villa could offer a place where he would be guaranteed game time. He could fit in very nicely in a number of roles at Villa Park, either supporting Wesley as a second nippy striker, in attacking midfield, or even up top on his own.
Jaroslaw Niezgoda- 9 Goals and 1 Assist in 13 League Games
Jaroslaw Niezgoda is a somewhat unknown option for Villa in January. His goals record speaks for itself however, as he has scored wherever he’s been. Overall in the Polish top flight he has contributed to 40 goals in 72 games. This season in the league he’s scored a goal every 81 minutes, and he’s only played 54% of the possible game time he could’ve played in. This shows he doesn’t have to have much time on the pitch to score goals, and thus could be a great impact sub off the bench. He also has some height, standing at 6ft2 and is 24 years old, yet again meaning he fits the current Villa transfer policy. He could be a cheaper possibility for the scouting team to look at.
Sam Cosgrove- 7 Goals and 0 Assists in 12 League Games
The Scottish Premiership isn’t exactly teeming with talent, but occasionally players (much like John Mcginn) can impress in other leagues. Cosgrove is a big lad who has scored at a reasonable rate for Aberdeen this season. Not only has he scored 7 in 12 in the league, he scored 6 in 6 in Europa League qualifying. At 22 years old he is likely to improve, and as a cheap option there is very little downside to signing him as a punt. His conversion rate is decent at nearly 32%, and his big frame would help him slip into the role that Wesley plays with ease. If Villa were to sign Cosgrove, another player would be needed in the same position in case the transfer didn’t work out.
Jon Parkin Sports 