Scott Hogan arrived at Aston Villa for a massive £15 million transfer fee in January. His subsequent move from Brentford was mired in frustration and a pair of ligament injuries.
ST – Scott Hogan, 25
Appearances: 9 + (4)
WhoScored Aggregate: 6.20
Goals/Assists: 1/2
Scott Hogan’s first couple months at Aston Villa were a disappointment, to say the least. Villa beat out West Ham United for the Englishman’s signature after upping their total bid to £15 million.
In a match against title-winners Newcastle, just one month after his signing, Scott Hogan was stretchered off with what was thought to be a serious knee injury. He only missed one month, but his return marked a series of several appearances from the bench.
Hogan could not displace Jonathan Kodjia in the attack. Instead, Steve Bruce favored a set-up that did not include the two potent forwards together. Furthermore, Hogan’s ineffectiveness when featured made Bruce’s decision all the easier.
At Villa, Hogan recorded under one shot per match while completing just 71.1% of his passes. In 818 minutes of league football, Hogan scored a singular goal against Wigan Athletic:
The real concern for Villa management is Hogan’s repeated history of serious injury. In his career, Scott Hogan has two ACL tears to go along with the pair of ligament injuries picked-up at Aston Villa.
The latter of which will keep him out until pre-season training opens in five weeks’ time. For Dr. Tony Xia to get anywhere near a positive return on investment, Hogan must feature routinely as a goal threat. Serious questions must be raised whether that will occur. A £15 million transfer fee is one variable that lead to financial fair play restrictions on the club this summer. Aston Villa simply can not spend that much on one injury-prone player with the losses the backroom accumulates.
2017-2018 Prediction: I think Scott Hogan will score at least eight league goals next season, given fitness. The problem is: how often will he feature after Jonathan Kodjia returns? Can Steve Bruce stick to a comfortable two striker system?
A 4-4-2 diamond might interest the club: Johnstone; Bree, Chester (c), Baker, Taylor; Jedinak, Lansbury, Hourihane, Grealish; Hogan, Kodjia.
Is there enough width in this formation? Let us know!