Elsewhere in midfield, there seems little chance André Green will fulfil his early promise, having struggled for long periods following his return from his loan in January. His equaliser against Sheffield United will live long in the memory, but in the cold light of day, his meaningful contributions were few and far between.
If he can’t deliver in the Championship, what chance does he have in the Premier League?
So, who’s left? Jonathan Kodjia. Keinan Davis. Scott Hogan. Keinan is young and very much a work-in-progress. There is no reason to send him on his way – loan him to a Championship club and see what develops. I sense he’ll come good, but this season is probably not the time to find out.
Scott Hogan. Words fail me here. His record for Brentford was outstanding, he ticked plenty of boxes and was bang in form – what was not to like? But he has turned out to be the most ineffective striker since Bosko Balaban. And he cost twice the price!
Hogan’s time at Villa is well and truly up, so any deal which sees him move on can only benefit the club and the player himself. Speculation continues to mount that Villa will look to reunite Dean Smith with prolific striker Neal Maupay, so why not offer Hogan as makeweight?
And, so, to Jimmy Danger. I can scarcely recall a more infuriating Villan. On his day, he’s near unplayable – skill, speed, determination and goals – Rotherham away last season springs to mind.
But his ‘day’ is an increasing rarity, and more often than not, he is a passenger, frequently cutting a frustrated figure, contributing little more than the ostentatious throwing of arms, or pounding the turf feeling hard-done-by that another penalty claim was flatly rejected by another incompetent Championship referee.
If the real Jonathan Kodjia would please stand up, we might have someone ready to contribute. Perhaps the Premier League will offer him the opportunity to show what he’s really about? I hope so, but hand-on-heart, I just can’t see it. If he stays, fine, and if he goes, well, meh. Thanks for the memories.
Still much to be done, then, by Dean Smith, Christian Purslow and Jesus Pitarch. Early signs are extremely encouraging and there is no reason not to trust we will come out of the summer window in better shape than we entered it.
UTV!
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