Why Jack Marriott would be a smart signing for Aston Villa

Back in May 2018, The Sun had claimed Aston Villa were one of the many clubs interested in signing Jack Marriott, who was then plying his trade for Peterborough United. However, a deal didn’t go through and he joined Derby County in the summer.

Jack Marriott, 25, enjoyed a good debut season at Derby County, scoring seven goals and assisting five times in 33 Championship games. In all, he netted 13 goals in 43 games as the Rams lost 2-1 to Aston Villa in the playoff finals last season under former manager Frank Lampard.

Despite flourishing under Lampard the last term, Marriott has been shy in front of the goal this time around under Phillip Cocu, scoring just one goal in 13 games thus far.

The 25-year-old isn’t the first-choice striker at Pride Park, with Cocu preferring the powerful Chris Martin in the No. 9 role.

Marriott may have endured a stuttering start to his second season at Derby but one cannot deny the fact that he is a quality striker. With that in mind, Aston Villa must reignite their interest in him when the transfer window reopens.

Villa invested heavily on 12 new players during the summer transfer window, including Brazilian striker Wesley Moraes.

Wesley has notched up four goals so far this season but the problem for Dean Smith is that there’s no option on the bench to compete with the striker for a starting spot at Villa Park.

Jonathan Kodjia isn’t the most prolific of goalscorers and is in the final year of his contract, while Keinan Davis is currently out injured.

Kodjia and Davis haven’t got a Premier League goal between them, which suggest that they aren’t really pushing Wesley at the club. Without any second thoughts, Smith should prioritize signing a new centre-forward in January and Jack Marriott would be a good fit.

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Marriott has a tendency to play on the shoulder of the last defender and is a dangerous player in the box. The 25-year-old is an exciting player and in the video below, one can see the former Luton Town star’s style of play and qualities he’ll bring if a move to Villa happens.

Verdict

Marriott would not only add quality to Villa’s attack but also depth to the squad. It’s a no-brainer for the Villans to sign a striker in January and Smith would do a smart job by signing the 25-year-old from Derby.