Aston Villa Favorites To Land Ross McCormack

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 02: Ross McCormack of Fulham reacts during the Sky Bet Championship match between Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday at Craven Cottage on January 2, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Ker Robertson/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 02: Ross McCormack of Fulham reacts during the Sky Bet Championship match between Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday at Craven Cottage on January 2, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Ker Robertson/Getty Images)

New betting odds see Aston Villa the favorites to land striker Ross McCormack at 4/6. A prolific Championship goalscorer, the Scottish international has been linked to Norwich City for weeks.

After thirty-eight league goals in the previous two season at Craven Cottage, Ross McCormack is surely on the move. The question remains, where? Norwich City have been widely linked to the technical forward, but seem to be scared off by the reported £15 million pound price tag.

If the betting markets are anything substantial to go off, Aston Villa are the new favorites to land the prolific striker. SkyBet places Aston Villa at 4/6 odds to land McCormack; slightly ahead of Norwich City at 6/5. The highly sought after striker has not seen a transfer yet because of other clubs’ hesitancy to meet Fulham’s transfer request for a soon-to-be thirty year old player.

McCormack is a complete player who is well suited for the rigors of the English second division. He is an adept passer of the ball who moves into the hole to look for teammates. These passing qualities make up for his hold-up play; which would otherwise be hindered because of a short 5’9″ frame. His trademark clinical finishing suits well for any club needing to add a new dimension to their attack.

After Roberto Di Matteo publicly renounced the possibilities of adding McCormack or Patrick Bamford last month, this represents a sudden twist of events. It remains to be seen if Villa truly are back in for McCormack or if they are just doing their due diligence on him. Regardless, Ross McCormack would be a monstrous upgrade over Rudy Gestede–one who could link up well with Jordan Ayew spearheading the Aston Villa attack.

The problem with McCormack is that he turns thirty later this month. That seems to differentiate with Xia and RDM’s policy thus far of buying young, high upside talents (see Gollini, Tshibola). Because of this and the reported transfer price, I would remain skeptical of the betting markets showing Villa in the lead. Aston Villa might go a different route in their quest to find a new goalscorer. Nonetheless, it remains an exciting rumor.