Scouting Aston Villa transfer target: George Boyd
By Josh Tonti
31-year old Burnley winger George Boyd is out of contract this summer. The veteran wide player rejected a one year extension at Turf Moor, prompting speculation on where he would sign. Aston Villa seem to be one possible destination.
Add George Boyd to the long list of players linked to Aston Villa multiple times. Manager Steve Bruce is a keen admirer of Boyd, keeping tabs on him during the January transfer window as well.
George Boyd turns 32 in October, but you wouldn’t know it from his incessant running on the wings. His defensive contribution leads to excellent cover on either side of the pitch he is playing.
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Throughout his career, Boyd has primarily featured as a left-winger. However, he has experience playing underneath a forward as well as the right-wing. For Burnley this season, Boyd made 26 of his 36 Premier League appearances as a right midfielder, according to WhoScored.
Reading and watching Boyd, a comparison between he and Birkir Bjarnason seems very apt.
Both are primarily left-sided forwards capable of playing underneath and on the opposite flank. Whereas Bjarnason offers more in the offensive third, Boyd offers more in the middle.
I ran a Squawka comparison matrix on the 2016/2017 league season for Boyd, Jack Grealish, Albert Adomah, Andre Green, and Marley Watkins. The statistics backed-up what I thought, Boyd is a defensive machine, but not much else. He completed just 0.44 key passes per match with a 73% pass completion rate.
George Boyd is a fine player and proven, durable leader in the English Championship. However, I am not sold that he is what Aston Villa is looking for in this point and time. A hypothetical three-year deal into his age 34 season shouldn’t be what the club utilizes. Owner Tony Xia said it best when he proclaimed a less-wasteful transfer plan is needed. Far too much dead money exists on the books to extend another veteran who doesn’t exactly fill a position of need.
Steve Bruce, however, probably argues he needs short-term fixes to make it back to the Premier League.