It has certainly been an eventful summer down at Villa Park; the club has seen failed takeover bids, two of the their star players leave and a load of new faces come in.
Following the departures of captain Delph and superstar striker Christian Benteke, Villa were left with the challenge of improving an even weaker squad than last season, ahead of what is bound to be another campaign battling against relegation from the Premier League.
Manager Tim Sherwood has wasted no time reinvesting the £40million he received for his stars. The 46-year-old has made three major signings to bring in striker Jordan Ayew from Lorient for around £12million, defender Jordan Amavi from Nice for £9million and midfielder Idrissa Gueye from Lille, again for a fee in the region of £9million.
The Villa scouts have clearly been holidaying in France this summer.
Defender Jose Angel Crespo is the most recent addition moving from Spanish side Cordoba, and Sherwood is showing no signs of slowing down.
Whilst the Villains’ signings are drawing plaudits from many involved in football, there is one worrying factor that links all four signings; the lack of experience playing at the highest level.
Of course many high value signings come to the Premier League from abroad and succeed, but there is always that risk that they may fail to adapt to the demands of life in England.
Just look at former Villa players Jean Makoun, Aleksandar Tonev and Nicklas Helenius. They are just a few examples of the many that tried and failed to succeed in English football.
After several years of relegation battles, it appears Villa are risking an awful lot of these relative ‘unknowns.’ So it’s about time Sherwood added some experienced Premier League talent.
Emmanuel Adebayor would be a perfect solution to this problem.
The Togolese striker is reportedly on the verge on moving to Villa Park on an initial season long loan deal with a view to a permanent move next summer.
Adebayor has drawn a lot of criticism in previous years over his unfavourable attitude towards his work rate. The player has been regarded as a lazy and uninterested footballer who is more concerned about his bank balance.
However, the striker still has a lot to offer Villa and linking up with his former boss Sherwood can replicate the form we saw from their time together at Spurs.
Sherwood is highly regarded for his impressive motivational work with his players, with the transformation of Harry Kane into a clinical striker down to the Villa boss.
At Spurs he brought Adebayor back in to the fold after he was frozen out under Andre Villas-Boas by adapting his tactics to suit the big striker. Spurs got the best out of him with a return of 11 goals in 20 games, showcasing what he is capable of.
Adebyaor would bring bags of Premier League experience to a young and inexperienced Villa side. He has played for some of the best clubs in the world, surrounding himself with incredibly talented footballers and coaches who helped develop his career.
With Benteke up front, the tactics at Villa park were fully focused around the striker; direct football into the big forward for him to hold up the play and bring others into the game. Adebayor is a similar player he would fit the style of play and offer a more mobile option compared to his predecessor.
The 31-year-old has a point to prove next season and the loan move is brilliant for all parties. Spurs get rid of a player that is not interested in the club, Adebayor gets a fresh start to show the player he can be and Villa get a free trial on a potentially brilliant striker, yet won’t get lumbered with a failure should it all backfire.
If Sherwood gets his way it won’t take long before Emmanuel Adebayor is back to his old ways.
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