Former Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has admitted his shock at the club’s decision to sign Spanish striker Borja Baston last month.
The attacker joined from Championship side Swansea City on a free transfer late in the January window.
When speaking to Football Insider, Bent revealed his initial reaction to the move, saying:
I am surprised. It’s shocked me a little bit. On deadline day people are scrambling around for bits and bobs and it might turn out to be an acute signing.
But you question signings on the last day. I always find that on deadline day people pick up pieces they do not need.
READ ASTON VILLA VERDICT
If anyone has the right to speak about Villa signing strikers, it’s Bent. The Englishman scored 25 times for the club, the same number of goals that he managed at Tottenham.
We believe that Bent had a right to be shocked, simply because of Baston’s poor scoring record. The 27-year-old, who was signed by Swansea in a club-record £15m deal back in 2016, scored only six times for the Welsh club in the Championship this term (Transfermarkt).
However, with Jonathan Kodjia leaving for Qatar, Wesley Moraes out for the season and Keinan Davis still struggling with injury problems, we feel that bringing a back-up striker like Baston could prove to be a smart addition by manager Dean Smith.
