Teams are always looking for the next goal scorer. There are many good teams that lack a quality number nine option, seemingly dooming the season. AVFC currently has Ollie Watkins. The latest should not suggest that he will be leaving B6 anytime soon. Aston Villa made something of an interesting move in pursuit of another top striker on Wednesday.
Fabrizio Romano shared on X that Villa is the main club in line to sign Zepiqueno Redmond from Feyenoord Rotterdam. Only 18 years old, the Dutch player has come up through the Feyenoord academy.
Redmond has not seen too much senior team action as of this moment, but he does look to be one of the bright up-and-coming stars and has already earned the trust of the Erdevise side. In a needed match during the Champions League knockout stage against AC Milan, the teenager saw his first European start at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
It's not an environment anyone would want to select for one of their first starts at the senior level. Then, and during his other involvements for the club, Villa saw enough potential to want to take a chance. While there is not anything officially sealed as of this moment, Romano reported that they are in the lead among a number of other interested parties.
One aspect to criticize of many forwards is that they lack the willingness to work off the ball. Instead, they will elect to be too passive and absolutely require the service to come in to them to be effective. A good poacher will always be wanted at any club. In the modern game, however, forwards need to be more involved in the overall game plan.
Watching Redmond, he does have that desire to work back and fight for the ball. An area he has separated himself early on is how he makes his runs in the final third. He not only does a good job of recycling his runs but also varies how those will look, giving the defenders a different look within the match.
Plenty of potential for Aston Villa target
Redmond is still young, but as Villa fans saw, players will be given chances, and all positions need to have multiple options ready to contribute, whether starting or otherwise, particularly across all competitions.
As of right now, Redmond is an unproven talent. There are plenty of signs of encouragement, however. It is easy to see why the teenager is being brought to Villa.