Alan Nixon of The Sun revealed on Twitter that Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion were both targeting Romaine Sawyers this month. The Brentford attacking-midfielder could bring much-needed creativity to the Villa side, with Dean Smith’s men having scored one or less goals in four of their last five games in all competitions.
Sawyers has made four assists in 26 Championship games this season, creating 47 chances and making 21 successful dribbles. The 27-year-old primarily operates in the middle of the park or in a more advanced role behind the striker. Conor Hourihane has struggled in this position of late while Jack Grealish has been injured, but could the latter’s impending return see Villa avoid signing Sawyers?
The Brentford man operates in a similar role to Grealish, so it makes little sense for Smith to sign a player who may not even start when everyone is fit. He’s not been too prolific in creating goals this season either so there may be better targets available in the January transfer window. It’s worth noting that Henri Lansbury remains a Villa player and has featured recently too, so the Midlands club are overstocked in this position and may have to sell before buying.
Crippy Cooke’s previous article
Opinion: 19-year-old could leave Aston Villa next summer, injury comes at bad time
