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Stan Collymore suggests Aston Villa’s Wesley’s currently a liability
Stan Collymore that Wesley needs to learn how to play with his back to goal, otherwise Aston Villa need to sign a new striker in January as he is currently proving to be a liability.
Wesley has come in for plenty of criticism since arriving at Villa in the summer. He has scored four goals in 16 Premier League appearances this season. And his most recent goal came back in early October.
Since then, he has really struggled for form. And Collymore insisted that he needs to do a lot better, warning that the Villans may have to think about signing a new attacker next month.
“If they are going to stay up then Smith and John Terry must pull centre-forward Wesley to one side and say, ‘If we are going to believe in you, then you need to do the basics well, which is playing with your back to goal’,” .
“But I don’t see any evidence of coaching in terms of that.
“I’ve said from day one that I’d go in for free, and I’m sure Emile Heskey or John Carew would as well, and show Wesley how to play that way, because at the minute he’s a liability.
“If they are not going to do that then they need to take him out of the team and buy a striker in January.”
TBR View – Villa need striker signing regardless of Wesley’s form
Villa arguably need to consider strengthening their striker options in January regardless of Wesley’s form. Dean Smith does not have a large group of strikers to work with. And with Villa languishing around the bottom three, not signing a new forward could be a real gamble.
It would take some of the pressure off of Wesley. He has had to hit the ground running, particularly after arriving for a club-record fee (via ).
The 23-year-old is yet to live up to expectations. And Collymore is clearly concerned that he is destined to be a flop unless something changes in the near future.