Villa Unlikely To Make Move For Burnley Striker

According to the Birmingham Mail, Steve Bruce is unlikely to make a move for Burnley striker Ashley Barnes.

So far this transfer window Villa have been left frustrated by their inability to sign a new striker, a problem that has now been made more problematic by the reports that Bruce is willing to sanction McCormack’s departure from Villa Park after having blasted him for failing to attend training because his electronic gates weren’t working. This means that Agbonlahor is the only senior striker at the club until Ayew and Kodjia return from the AFCON.

As a result, there have been a handful of strikers that have been linked with a move to Villa Park, and Barnes was one of them. However, this is unlikely to occur, and those Villa fans who watched the enthralling battle between Arsenal and Burnley at the weekend, will perhaps understand why.

Barnes struggled against Arsenal, and gave the ball away on numerous occasions thanks to a poor pass, an inconsistent touch or a futile attempt at a dribble. Furthermore, the 6 foot plus striker failed to provide any link-up play with Andre Gray. Burnley’s game plan was clear – boot the ball up towards Barnes – he flicks it on – and the lightning quick Gray runs in behind. However, Barnes failed to achieve this aim throughout the game. To add insult to injury, when he had a good chance to score late on, he snatched at his shot and sent the ball trickling into Cech’s arms.

Now, a tough afternoon at a place like the Emirates does not mean that you’re not a good player, but Villa have spent too much money on under performing strikers recently, so you can’t really blame them for losing interest here.