According to a recent report by The Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa are targeting Peterborough United striker, Jack Marriott, and had sent scouts to assess him. Marriot has been slapped a price tag of £5million by his current employers and apart from the Villans, Birmingham City, Hull City and Leeds United are also believed to be interested to make him sign on the dotted line.
Aston Villa are unarguably one of the sides that are looking capable enough to mount a substantial challenge for promotion to the Premier League. They are firmly in the mix at the top of the table and unless we see a shocking dip in form, John Terry and his boys will be gracing at least the playoffs to get the ticket to the lucrative Premier League next season.
However, Steve Bruce is an experienced campaigner and he won’t get too ahead of himself and he will know a couple of additions will do his team a world of good. Injuries to many of the first-team players have been having a tumultuous affect on Bruce and to ensure that they steadily face the animosity that the second-half of the season will have on offer, it would be wise to make some additions, particularly to beef up the attacking arsenal.
Their apparent interest to sign Marriott makes a lot of sense, for he has smashed 17 goals in 27 games in the English third division so far this season and has been attracting a lot of attention. Besides, he has also garnered 5 goals in 5 FA Cup games this season and has showcased notable clinical abilities up front for the Posh.
He emerged through the youth ranks of Ipswich Town but couldn’t cement his place after he was promoted to their senior side. However, he polished himself on his loan spells with Woking, Carlisle United and Colchester United before signing a permanent deal with Luton Town. The 23-year-old scored 22 goals for Luton in his two seasons there.
Marriott poses a substantial threat to the opposition defence with his pace and movements on and off the ball. He is a lively player at the edge of the box and a predator inside it. He keeps trying to find the back of the net and isn’t afraid to fail and there is indeed a lot of confidence in him and thus, Bruce should be able to add some spice up front by luring him to the Villa Park.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored