Why Aston Villa should go all out to sign Fulham’s Neeskens Kebano
According to a report from BBC, Yannick Bolasie has cut short his season-long loan at Aston Villa and has returned to his parent club, Everton.
Bolasie made 21 appearances in the Championship for Aston Villa this season after moving on loan from Everton in the summer. The DR Congo international scored twice and registered four appearances during that span.
The departure of Bolasie has certainly left a void at Dean Smith’s Aston Villa, who are striving hard to earn a place in the promotion play-offs. Smith will definitely need the help of new players in the second half of the season if he is to drag Villa back into promotion contention.
The Villans currently sit 13th in the table after 28 matches, seven points behind Derby County who occupy the final playoff spot. Smith has to grind out results from now on and strive hard for reinforcements as transfer deadline day looms large.
So far this month, goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic and centre-back Kortney Hause are the new faces to arrive at Villa Park. But that clearly isn’t enough for Villa if they are to claim a spot in the top-six. Signing players is the need of the hour but getting the right deals done is crucial for Smith as Villa’s transfer strategy has been a mess over the years.
Smith should look to bolster a couple of key positions – the central defence and the midfield. But the Villa manager shouldn’t ignore filling the void left by Bolasie this month and he would do well to sign Fulham outcast Neeskens Kebano on loan until the end of the season.
Neeskens Kebano, 26, hasn’t played much for Fulham this season and he was supposed to join Sheffield Wednesday earlier this week.
The Sheffield Star reported that a deal had been agreed between the two clubs. However, the report claims that the deal has collapsed as the attacker has told Wednesday that he isn’t in a rush to leave Fulham.
With Wednesday turning their attention elsewhere, Dean Smith should do everything possible to land Neeskens Kebano at Villa Park.
The Congolese can play anywhere across the frontline and his pace, energy and directness would certainly bolster Villa’s attacking unit. He would be a welcome addition to Villa’s squad as the 26-year-old speed demon has all the attributes to perfectly fit into Smith’s system.
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As things stand, Aston Villa face an uphill task of securing a place in the top-six and they should make sure that they do not face a burnout due to injuries towards the crunch end of the campaign.
And signing Neeskens Kebano will massively boost their chances of playing in the Premier League next season.