Unai Emery has a striker conundrum to resolve at Aston Villa and this latest news has only heightened that possibility.
Ollie Watkins is, of course, Emery’s permanent first-choice at Aston Villa but there are no current reliable backups to the Englishman.
Jhon Duran played that role last season however, his future has been up in the air all summer and looks certain to depart after disrespecting the club amid talks with West Ham.
Duran isn’t the only striker who has been linked with a move out of Villa Park. Cameron Archer returned to the club this summer in an £18m move after an obligation in his contract was triggered following Sheffield United’s relegation.
Despite only just returning to B6, the 22-year-old is expected to leave this month as multiple clubs ‘like him a lot’, including Bournemouth.
That was the stance previously revealed on Thursday, as the Cherries line up a replacement for Dominic Solanke, who has just sealed a big-money move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Bournemouth now considering other options after holding talks with Cameron Archer
In a dramatic turn of events, Bournemouth are now considering other options instead of Archer, despite previously holding talks with the Englishman.
That is according to Birmingham Live journalist John Townley, who believes the South Coast club have turned their attention elsewhere.
Although he claims they ‘appreciate’ the Villa forward, he clearly isn’t the first choice to replace Solanke and that is understandable.
Bournemouth are set to receive £65 million for their talisman and signing a player who only scored four goals last term, albeit in a relegated side, perhaps doesn’t appeal to them.
This only adds another twist to the saga as ideally Aston Villa likely want to sell before the transfer window slams shut and time is of the essence.
What Emery must do in the striker position
Whilst Archer has shown some promise in pre-season, scoring the winner against Athletic Bilbao, he’s at an age where he needs to be playing regular football, something that is far from guaranteed at Villa.
The regular bulk of matches should see Emery rotate his side more heavily however, that doesn’t mean he’ll necessarily pick the academy graduate, especially in big Champions League matches.
Archer will be restricted to cameos from the bench but as seen at Middlesbrough in 2022/23, where he scored 11 goals from January onwards, the ‘terrific’ youngster thrives when he’s the main man.
Therefore, he must be shipped on this summer to continue his development, while Emery must land a replacement to act as backup to Watkins when needed.
Ideally, that would have been Duran, although there’s no way back for the Colombia at Villa and he’s another that needs moving on.
They need to sign a young striker, perhaps someone like Semih Kilicsoy, who doesn’t mind playing second-choice and can develop under the Spaniard’s guidance.
