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So, rumours beginning to fly around about the possibility of Spanish striker David Villa potentially moving to Merseyside in the January transfer window. Here’s an assessment of the marksman’s strengths and weaknesses.
Background
Nicknamed “El Guaje” (coincidentally meaning the kid – similar to a certain other Spanish ex-Liverpool FC player), he requires no real introduction. Started his career with Sporting Gijon before moving to Zaragoza and then making his mark with Valencia.
A move to Barcelona ensued, but with the competition for places at Barcelona, the Catalans are considering offloading Villa in the offseason/January transfer window. Individual accolades won include being the Golden Ball winner in the 2010 World Cup, the Spanish Player of the Year in 2005-06, and being part of the UEFA Team of the Year back in 2010.
Cost
A move for Villa will likely set Liverpool FC back between 15-20 million pounds.
Age
Perhaps the only factor that works against a move to Liverpool would be his age at the moment. He is 31 years old – and if Brendan Rodgers’ summer recruits are anything to go by, it is unlikely that David Villa will make the move to Liverpool FC.
His talents, however, might just outweigh the age factor, as he might just be the perfect striker partner for Luis Suarez.
Positioning and Finishing
David Villa’s strengths lie with his positioning in and around the penalty box, along with his finishing skills. He has been deployed out wide for Barcelona to accommodate Lionel Messi in the ‘false 9? role, and might be the perfect player for us at the moment.
His ability to interchange positions with Luis Suarez will also be helpful – and having a ‘fox in the box’ will definitely mean that our Uruguayan striker will have more support up front and inside the penalty box.
Ready to Step in
One thing that Liverpool FC will definitely take into consideration will be his readiness to immediately step into the squad. Yes, he has had his fair share of injury problems, but I reckon that he will still be a good addition to the squad and add experience to an otherwise young Liverpool FC squad (not to mention depth to a very thin forwards department).
Playing for Barcelona at the moment also means that he is already very well versed in how to play the Tiki-Taka. How to move off the ball. How to put the ball into the back of the net. These are all things that Liverpool need at the moment (not to mention our desperate need for an additional winger to compliment Sterling and Suarez in attack), and they make for a strong argument in favour of David Villa moving to Liverpool FC in the January transfer window.
A Few Weaknesses
His weaknesses include his aerial ability and recognition of the offside trap. He plays really high up the pitch sometimes, and it is a habit of Villa to be consistently caught by opposition teams playing the offside trap.
His aerial ability is unlikely to be too important in Rodgers’ system (or Barcelona’s system for that matter), so it is just something to work around if the Reds decide to sign the Spanish striker.
