Transfer rumours about Kosovar international striker Flamur Kastrati joining Aston Villa won’t go away. It was alleged that a scout was sent to the Norway to watch Sandefjord play Lillehammer recently. Kastrati plays up front for Sandefjord and has scored 10 goals in 27 appearances this season. Newspapers such as the Birmingham Mail have reported the interest as well as numerous websites in Albania, Kosovo and Norway.
The 26-year-old was born in Norway and is of Kosovo-Albanian decent. He played ten times for Norway’s Under 21 side before being selected for Kosovo. He has been capped three times so far but is yet to score. Kastrati started his career in the third tier of Norwegian football before moving to FC Twente in Holland. He played there for three seasons but never caught the eye of then-coach Steve McClaren.
After Holland, Kastrati plied his trade in 2.Bundesliga with VfL Osnabrück, MSV Duisburg and FC Erzgebirge Aue. In 52 appearances, he would only find the net four times so moved back to Norway in 2013. Strømsgodset signed him on a free transfer. Aston Villa fans may remember them as our first round opponents in the 1998/9 UEFA Cup. Kastrati’s scoring record improved to 8 goals from 65 appearances before another move to Aalesund. Having only played three games for his new club, he started the 2017 Eliteserien season with Sandefjord.
Ten goals from 29 appearances this season have, allegedly, attracted interest. His disciplinary record has been poor as he has averaged a yellow card in every 3.6 games. However, media outlets continue to link the player to a move to Villa Park in January. The Eliteserien season ended in November so Kastrati is not currently playing competitive football. Transfermarkt value the player at €200,000 but money hasn’t changed hands for him since 2009.
It seems to be a transfer rumour without real merit. It would appear that a move to the Championship would be too high a step for Kastrati. An inability to score in the second tier of the Bundesliga speaks volumes. Aston Villa needs a tried and tested striker and, unfortunately, Kastrati doesn’t meet those criteria. Football Radar’s Norwegian analyst gave a frank assessment:
Either they aren’t or Aston Villa have a dreadful scouting team. This would be awful https://t.co/yGrNwpjENv
— Perry Sykes (@FotballPerry) December 8, 2017
The scouting mission to Norway seems either speculative or that the target was someone other that Flamur Kastrati. The replacement for Kodjia could well come from a loan deal rather than a ‘bargain basement’ purchase that will, ultimately, fail. I suspect that this rumour will slip away quietly.