Transfer Story
According to a recent report by Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa are optimistic about the chances of completion of a loan move for Leicester City’s wantaway striker, Leonardo Ulloa, to the Villa Park within this month. Steve Bruce remains keen to beef up his attacking arsenal for the business end of the season to put forth a strong case for promotion to the Premier League.
The Scenario
The Villans are placed at the 4th spot in the Championship table, having collected 50 points from 28 games. However, there is still a lot to be done and considering that the coming months are expected to offer more twists and turns, it would be wise from Bruce to add some more depth to his arsenal to remain firmly settled in the playoff places at least.
Attributes
Ulloa was signed by Leicester City in the summer of 2014 for £8million, which was a club-record transfer fee for them then. However, he has been sidelined this season and it appears that he is out of Claude Puel’s tactical nous. He has fallen behind Jamie Vardy, Shinji Okazaki, Kelechi Iheanacho and Islam Slimani in the pecking order. Bruce, however, admires the attacker and clearly rates him. Thus, he is keen to prise him out of the King Power Stadium once again.
The Argentine is a good target man and his height and physicality enable him to be quite productive in the air as well. Ulloa is also a handy defensive option during opposition setpieces and if handed proper goal-scoring opportunities, he would find the back of the net more often than not and he is unarguably an astute poacher inside the box.
The 31-year-old holds the ball superbly in the final third, something which is really required to thrive in English football. However, we have not seen a lot from him this season as he has been handed merely 19 minutes in the Premier League by his current employers, and this might be a cause for concern. Nonetheless, with the calibre he has, he should be able to hit the ground up and running if he is given the opportunity.
Good Deal?
At the onset, a loan deal seems to be an ideal move for all the parties involved. Aston Villa are bereft of the services of Jonathan Kodjia and Ulloa can certainly fill his boots. The former Brighton & Hove Albion striker is an experienced campaigner and a Premier League winner with Leicester City and he would certainly be able to bring some quality in their attacking endeavours if the deal materialises.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored
