The summer transfer window has finally closed and it is fair to say that Villa have done some good business. I still believe that we could have done with purchasing a midfielder who has some experience and therfore I was sad to see Gareth Barry, who had been linked with us earlier in the window, head off to Everton.
It’s all well and good talking about ‘what ifs’ but it’s time to focus on the team we have and give all the players our full support this campaign.
It’s no understatement to say that last season Villa relied heavily on the form and goals of Christian Benteke – and he was by far our star player. With twenty-three goals in all competitions, nineteen in the league and four in the cups, he led the line extremely well and we had a real presence up front. He was a defender’s nightmare. He was a key player for us and was, without a doubt, the difference between survival and relegation in the Barclays Premier League.
We had a difficult summer, with Benteke handing in a transfer request and rumoured interest in the Belgian from other clubs. Who could blame them? Benteke had a fantastic season. However, Paul Lambert worked his magic and convinced him to stay and sign a new contract.
With another transfer window done and dusted, are Villa still so reliant on Benteke? If he were to get injured, would we struggle for striking options?
First off, Lambert seemed to focus on strikers this transfer window, bringing in two key signings.
Firstly, Nicklas Helenuis put pen to paper to become Villa’s fourth signing of the window. In the 2012-2013 season he scored thirteen goals in thirty-two league appearances for his former club Aalborg and made seven assists. That’s not bad going for someone who is still only 22 years old and I would say he fits Lambert’s vision perfectly. Nevertheless, I do believe that Nicklas Helenuis only decided to join us because he thought that Benteke was leaving and he would be his replacement. With Benteke staying, Helenuis may struggle to get a place in the team and, as he is used to first team football, I can see him becoming frustrated. So far this season he has been out of favour with Lambert as Agbonlahor, Weimann and Benteke have had terrific starts to the season.
Another arrival is 6 foot 4 inch Libor Kozak, Villa’s deadline day signing. He is 24 years old and was the top scorer in last season’s Europa League, with his ten goals helping his former team, Lazio, to reach the quarter-finals of the competition. This is another impressive statistic and Kozak is an exciting prospect for Villa in seasons to come. However, I feel if Benteke stays fit he will not start matches this season.
It is clear that in an ideal world Christian Benteke’s name would always be first on the team sheet, especially given the way he has begun the season – netting three goals in three league games. Helenuis and Kozak may struggle to get starts for Villa if Benteke stays fit but Lambert will be wary of piling too much pressure on his number 20 and may use Helenius and Kozak as substitutes or even rest his star player by allowing him to come on from the bench for certain games.
Do you think either of our new arrivals can fill his shoes? It is difficult to make a decision at this stage in the season, as we have seen little, if anything, from these two players. Consequently, we are still fairly unclear about what they can produce. From the stats, they seem to be able to score goals, which is a trait we usually rely on Benteke to showcase. They are also comparable in age and height and, as a result, they could play a very similar role to Benteke.
Of course we are all hoping that Benteke can stay fit and that he can score more than goals this season, helping us to secure a reasonable position in the Premier League. It bodes well that this season, following the arrival of Kozak and Helenuis, Paul Lambert has other options who are capable of scoring. This may allow him to rest Benteke, who will also be heavily involved with his national side’s World Cup qualification campaign, leaving Villa in a better position than last season.
