I’m not sure if Mat Kendrick of the Birmingham Mail was being particularly serious with his suggestion as a potential transfer signing, but he is advocating that the club make a move for Lewis Grabban.
On the face of it, signing a former Villa player doesn’t look like a particularly good idea. Would us as fans take to him, and would the forward be comfortable with switching to a city rival?
However, if we look purely from a footballing perspective, Grabban would present a very attractive proposition:
1) He’s not wanted by his club
Bournemouth have sent the striker out on loan three times over the past 18 months. The striker is clearly not in the Eddie Howe’s first team plans, and he has just one year left on his contract.
His goals in the Championship last year may have given the Cherries pause for thought over whether he should be given another chance, but with likes of Callum Wilson, Josh King and Jermain Defoe in their squad, he’s unlikely to get much of a look in.
2) He’s in great form
After having struggled somewhat with Reading during the second half of the 2016/17 season, he played out of his skin at Sunderland for the first half of last campaign. 12 goals in 20 appearances for a struggling Black Cats side is not bad going.
For Villa, he was slightly less effective with 8 in 18, but he played as a lone striker. Under Garry Monk, he would be given more service as well as a strike partner.
3) He’s unlikely to cost too much
With his contract running into the final 12 months, he could be available relatively cheaply. Villa are unable to afford any fee due to their financial situation but we could have the resources to recruit him on a permanent deal.
The prospect of signing him on a temporary basis is probably less likely as clubs don’t usually send players out on a season-long loan if they can then leave the club at the end of the campaign on a free transfer.
We’ve had a number of players who’ve made the switch from our rivals over the years, and the fact he spent just six months there means he doesn’t have deep roots. Of course, we would have rivals for his signature but Garry Monk could do a lot worse than making a move for the 30-year-old.