Journalist Dean Jones has told This Is Futbol that Aston Villa want to recruit somebody in the striker position with ‘real pedigree’.
There have been reports that Aston Villa are interested in signing Luis Suarez ahead of the summer transfer window, but they may face competition from several other clubs who can offer him European football for next season.
Suarez featured 35 times for Atletico Madrid last season, but just 20 of those appearances came from the start, and he managed to chip in with 11 goals and three assists along the way.
Despite the Uruguayan being 35 years old and not featuring as regularly this season, Jones claimed that Steven Gerrard will be interested in the striker due to the Villa boss knowing what he can get out of his ex-Liverpool teammate.
He said: “I think he wants someone with real pedigree in that position, and obviously Suarez was linked multiple times, and that tells you where Steven Gerrard’s mindset is at – he’s not going to sign like Luis Suarez just because he used to play with him, it’s because he knows what he’s getting from him in terms of ruthlessness, in terms of character, in terms of mentality.”
Would Suarez do well in the Premier League?Yes
No
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TIF Thoughts on Jones’ comments…
Suarez has not been able to feature regularly for Atletico this season, but he was still the club’s second-highest goalscorer in La Liga with 11 goals, despite only starting in just over half of the games.
It could be seen as a risk for Villa to bring in Suarez next season, as he has shown that his age is getting in the way of him featuring week-in, week-out – but his experience could be good for the squad, while he is someone who Gerrard knows and will trust when called upon.
The 35-year-old has proven this campaign that he can still score goals at the top level, so it will be interesting to see if he does move to join Villa, and how he would fare in the Premier League.