Transfer Speculation
According to reports, Aston Villa are believed to be keen to sign Swansea City striker, Oliver McBurnie. Apart from the Villans, Birmingham City and Sunderland are also understood to be in the race to make McBurnie sign on the dotted line to beef up their attacking armoury before the transfer window shuts down.
Fact File
McBurnie came up through the youth setup of Bradford City and was then elevated to the senior side of the Bantams. He was loaned out twice to Chester before Swansea City lured him to the Liberty Stadium in the summer of 2015. He was then shipped out on loan spells to Newport County and Bristol Rovers.
Attributes
The 21-year-old is a tall striker, which gives him an edge in his tussles with opposition defenders in the air. He is a determined runner, showcases his willingness to create an impact up front and his work-ethic is commendable. However, there is a lot more than he should work on in the coming seasons.
He has the requisite pace in his legs but he has to control the ball in a better manner and work on his game-reading skills. On plenty of occasions, he has been found bereft of ideas and needs to gel with his teammates a bit more. Besides, as a forward, he must be more clinical as well. However, he is still a youngster and has lots of potential and what he needs to do is to brush himself further.
McBurnie has been a sublime goal-getter at the Under-23 level and no wonder the Lions are monitoring him closely. Interestingly, he has been handed merely 2 starts in the Premier League so far this season. In order to excel further, he definitely needs to get more game time under his belt. Thus, a move to the Villa Park would make a lot of sense.
Do Aston Villa Need Him?
Steve Bruce desperately needs a striker to fill Jonathan Kodjia’s shoes and given that they are in the race for securing a promotion to the Premier League, they must meet their need before the transfer window shuts down to bolster their chances. Someone like McBurnie seems to be an exciting option for them and considering that Aston Villa can certainly offer the starlet the chance to spend more time on the pitch, it seems to be a good deal for all parties involved.
