Why Aston Villa should take a punt on Ante Budimir
According to claims from Marca (h/t Birmingham Live), Aston Villa have made contact with Spanish club Real Mallorca over a potential deal for Croatian striker Ante Budimir.
As per the report, Villa boss Dean Smith is looking to bring in another centre-forward before the deadline to provide cover and competition for Ollie Watkins, with Budimir mentioned as a potential target.
It has also been claimed that Mallorca are ready to part ways with the 29-year-old if an offer of around £13.5million is put on the table.
Profile
Ante Budimir was given his breakthrough in the Croatian top-flight by Inter Zapresic and he subsequently went on to feature for domestic giants NK Lokomotiva Zagreb, where he managed impressive returns of 19 goals and 5 assists in 30 appearances.
The towering hitman earned a move to German second-tier club FC St.Pauli but failed to make much of an impression. He revived his career at Sampdoria and Crotone in Italy before joining Mallorca in Spain’s second-tier back in January 2019.
Budimir played a key role as Mallorca secured promotion to the top-flight and the 29-year-old followed up his heroics with a career-best top-flight tally of 13 goals in 35 La Liga appearances last season. That wasn’t enough to save Mallorca from relegation but Budimir’s stocks are certainly on the rise after finishing as the 8th best goalscorer in the La Liga last term.
Budimir could be an ideal back-up option for Villa
Having largely played second-tier football in Italy, Germany and Spain before rising to stardom at Mallorca, Ante Budimir hardly ticks the box as a high-profile signing for Aston Villa. However, that shouldn’t be a big cause of concern as long as the Croatian fits the profile of a solid understudy to Ollie Watkins at Villa Park.
With Samatta joining Fenerbahce and Wesley yet to recover from his knee injury, it would definitely make sense for Villa to bring in a back-up striker to take the pressure off Watkins. Keinan Davis remains a part of Dean Smith’s plans after penning a new deal but he doesn’t really look ready to make an impact in the Premier League.
Budimir, to that end, ticks the box as a shrewd low-cost addition to the attacking ranks at Villa Park. The Croatian seems somewhat of a late bloomer at the highest level and his impressive returns for a struggling side in the La Liga offers enough hope that he is capable of thriving in the Premier League.
Read more
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- Why Aston Villa should make a move for in-form finisher Odsonne Edouard
Verdict
Ante Budimir still has enough football left in him at 29 and he’s definitely worth a punt for Aston Villa at the quoted price of £13.5million. There is an element of risk involved in the transfer but the player’s modest price tag should prompt the Villans to go ahead with this deal.
