Jorgen Strand Larsen of Wolverhampton Wanderersplaceholder image
Jorgen Strand Larsen of Wolverhampton Wanderers | Wolves via Getty Images
Aston Villa could look to enhance their front line with a big raid on a struggling Premier League rival
After a difficult and ultimately disappointing summer transfer window, Aston Villa are starting to click into gear once again but still yet to see the best of starman Ollie Watkins, who at present is struggling to hit the heights of years gone by.
Watkins is Villa’s all-time leading goalscorer of the Premier League era with 76 goals. He has played a fundamental role in helping the Lions climb from a team battling to avoid relegation to one that felt deeply frustrated that they are only playing this season in the Europa League as opposed to the Champions League after rubbing shoulders with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
The Torquay-born forward is quite simply a class act that’s ice cold in front of goal, able to stretch defences and even positively impact the game for those around him. It’s hard to bet against him bouncing back - after all as is often said ‘form is temporary and class is permanent’.
However, Watkins is approaching the latter stages of his career aged 30. And while players such as Jamie Vardy have proven it’s more than possible for a player reliant on pace to consistently score goals in his 30s but typical trends show that strikers do start to slow down slightly at that point particularly if they are almost never rested as is the case with the England international at this time.
Why Aston Villa should target a striker
For large chunks of last season, Aston Villa had two striker options that they were able to rotate at various points throughout the campaign. Colombian wonderkid Jhon Duran often brought a real x-factor to the game when coming off the bench with his off the cuff moments of magic and ability to strike the ball beautifully from distance.
After he left for Saudi Arabia, January addition Marcus Rashford, who at times also featured on the wing. Offered Villa an injection of flair and pace in behind which troubled defences - and for a brief spell saw him start through the middle ahead of Watkins. Aston Villa lack that at the moment. They are yet to see the best of winger Evann Guessand since his arrival from Nice while Donyell Malen, although capable of playing as a central forward, is more renowned for posing a threat from the wing with his blistering pace.
Most teams around Aston Villa. For example Newcastle United (Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa) or Chelsea (Liam Delap and Joao Pedro) have two very contrasting styles of forward to call upon. Meanwhile, Tottenham, another team tipped to compete with Villa for fourth, have four different strikers in Dominic Solanke, Richarilson, Mathys Tel and summer signing Randal Kolo Muani.
Watkins has a very good record of remaining fit at present but it’s hard to see Villa keeping pace with all of these teams if the 29-year-old was to sustain an injury at any point.
Aston Villa could sign their next John Carew in Jorgen Strand Larsen
Aston Villa should be in the market for a striker in either January or at the latest next summer. One name which could appeal to them is former Newcastle United target Jorgen Strand Larsen. The Norwegian scored 14 times and contributed four assists in his first full season with the Old Gold, making him a key contributor in the club’s escape from survival last term.
Larsen is 6ft4, making him a real force to be reckoned with in the air. He’s quick at running in behind as well, and has the quality to stretch defenders when needed. He’s the scorer of all kinds of different goals, making him a handful for defenders to deal with in lots of different situations.
Wolves fought hard to keep Larsen at the club after numerous offers in the region of £50m from Newcastle, who eventually signed Yoane Wissa instead. However, he’s currently playing for a team that are in massive jeopardy of playing outside the Premier League for the first time in eight years.
Larsen is still aged only 25, has massive room for growth and is the calibre of player that’d bring a whole new dimension to Villa’s attack with his physicality. It’s been more than 14 years since the team last had a big Norwegian striker with these qualities, with the last one being John Carew - perhaps Larsen could fill that void at Aston Villa.
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