Aston Villa are set to welcome back Wesley Moraes to the fold after his long-term knee injury and are willing to give him an ‘opportunity to prove himself’, but Gregg Evans of The Athletic has said that the Claret and Blues ‘will consider recruiting’ a replacement if the 24-year-old doesn’t impress.
Wesley joined Villa on a five-year deal from Club Brugge in 2019 and has gone on to make 22 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals and supplying one assist (Transfermarkt).
The Brazil international’s last outing for the Midlands outfit came in their 2-1 win over Burnley on New Year’s Day 2020 and saw him substituted in the second half after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.
Evans added that Villa concede Wesley will need time to get back to his best given his lack of football, but they are also prepared to bring in another striker if it doesn’t work out with the 24-year-old. Dean Smith opted against signing a centre-forward in the January transfer window as Wesley was on the recovery trail, but that may change over the summer.
Josh King, Odsonne Edouard, Mario Mandzukic, Ivan Toney and Divock Origi are among the centre-forwards who have been linked with a move to Villa, but it remains to be seen which (if any) of those is a genuine target for next season.
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It’s good that Villa are giving Wesley a chance and won’t discount the idea of signing another striker because they have been over-reliant on Ollie Watkins this season, with the ex-Brentford man not missing a single Premier League minute thus far.
However, their movements in the transfer market all depend on the Brazilian’s form. If Wesley comes back strong after 14 months of injury anguish, they may not need to go searching for an alternative.
