Aston Villa are making another appearance this summer.
With the record sale of Morgan Rogers to Chelsea gone through, Unai Emery has lost one of his key attacking players, but the Spaniard is nothing if not adaptable.
Alejandro Garnacho is set to sign for Villa, and more is in the works. At least Ollie Watkins is still leading the line; the Three Lions forward will continue to flourish as a top player next year.
It got us thinking: Villa's attacking formations have come a long way in recent years, with the Midlands club going through nine steps since the days of Christian Benteke.
He ranks Aston Villa's best strikers since Benteke
Benteke had his faults, but the Belgian powerhouse was a clinical figure for Aston Villa during a difficult period for the club. He scored 49 goals in 101 games after joining Genk for £7m in 2012. He left after three seasons, joining Liverpool for £32.5m.
His departure halted a dramatic slump that saw the Villans relegated to the Championship in an all-time disaster of a season. They have since rebuilt, using the likes of Jonathan Kodija to establish themselves in the second tier before reaping the big rewards provided by Tammy Abraham, then on loan, now a permanent fixture years later.
Abraham is one of the stars of the modern era, contributing to the big picture of Aston Villa's rise. His influence cannot be said to match that of Benteke, however, who probably sits behind only Watkins in the charts.
John Duran's influence on clothing was brief, but oh-so-sweet. What a kind and mysterious maverick he was. Already a nomad at the age of 22, Duran's impressive attacking output while at Villa cannot be questioned, and he left in January 2025 for £71m.
Let's not forget Gabby Agbonlahor, of course. The one-club man is a cult hero in the Midlands, but his richest days at Villa Park came before Benteke burst onto the scene.
|
Aston Villa's best strikers since Benteke |
||
|---|---|---|
|
# |
Striker |
Applications (Objectives) |
|
1. |
Ollie Watkins |
278 (108) |
|
2. |
Christian Benteke |
101 (49) |
|
3. |
Tammy Abraham |
56 (29) |
|
4. |
John Duran |
78 (20) |
|
5. |
Gabby Agbonlahor |
391 (86) |
|
6. |
Jonathan Kodija |
106 (31) |
Watkins' brilliance has been driving Aston Villa up and up under Emery, but the 30-year-old waxed and waned last season, and Aston Villa need a new striker to lead them to more riches.
Aston Villa are confident of agreeing a deal to sign new Benteke
Aston Villa, the Europa League holders and Champions League rivals, are currently languishing in the bottom third. The sale of Rogers will do that, but Emery has the opportunity to make a series of further changes after signing Garnacho.
According to TEAMtalk, one of these signings may come in the form of Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea, who returned to England after a year abroad with Bayern Munich. The German giants decided against a permanent purchase following his loan spell.
Jackson, 25, is set to move to Villa Park, and Aston Villa are understood to be advancing advanced talks to sign the Senegal international in a record-breaking £65m deal. Emery and co are 'hopeful' they can agree personal terms with the player.
With talks reaching a 'final stage', Emery will want to act quickly to sign a striker whose pace, power and experience in the Premier League could secure a new club.
In the 2024/25 Premier League season, Jackson scored nine goals and provided three assists before Christmas. He added one more strike to his collection after that. Make of it what you will, but it certainly shows the ability to sustain a large burst of form.
Perhaps the most important role for Aston Villa could be the transition Jackson needs in England, finally establishing him as one of the best strikers in the division.
Scoring 30 goals and providing 12 assists in 81 games for Chelsea in all competitions isn't bad at all, but there's no doubt the Senegalese striker will need to brush up his shooting if he's to cancel out Benteke's impact at Villa Park and start knocking on Watkins' door.
After all, Jackson missed 43 big chances in his two seasons in the English top flight. You sure know how to make a difference, but the actual act of converting leaves a lot to be desired.
Benteke: A striker whose ability to score goals consistently is unquestionable. His strike rate at Aston Villa was excellent. However, he lacked composure and control in the final third, something Jackson continues to work on right now.
But Emery is taking a chance on the physical and athletic striker. He could be the perfect strategy to unlock the latent qualities within Jackson, and take him beyond Benteke and the like, up past Watkins as the new talisman to fire this club to more success in the coming years.
