Aston Villa are eighth on the Championship table with 33 points after 22 games. The Villa Park side are just three points behind Middlesbrough, who occupy the last promotion play-off slot heading into Matchday 23. Last year’s play-off finalists need to strengthen their squad when the transfer window opens in January if they are to go all the way.
Birmingham Mail reports that Villa are interested in signing Romaine Sawyers from Brentford. Current Villa manager Dean Smith will know Sawyers from their time at Walsall. The 27-year-old came through West Brom’s academy but left the Hawthorns in 2013 without making a single appearance.
Sawyers spent a short period on loan with Walsall at the end of the 2012/13 season. Although he made just one appearance, his performances convinced Dean Smith to offer him a permanent contract upon the expiry of his deal at the Hawthorns.
Smith quickly became Sawyers’ mentor. The midfielder made nearly all of his professional appearances under the guidance of the highly-rated West Bromwich-born coach. In fact, the midfielder was the orchestrator of Walsall’s promotion-chasing team in 2015/16.
For his impressive performances that season, he was the runner-up to Bradley Dack for 2015/16 League One Player of the Year. But that was also the time that Smith left for Brentford, linking up with Smith at Griffin Park after the expiry of his deal at Walsall.
Romaine Sawyers is a unique footballer and one that requires the total trust of his coach. Smith has confidence in Sawyers’ ability. He enabled the midfielder to dictate the way both Walsall and Brentford played in the last five seasons. With Brentford currently struggling at the wrong end of the table, a move to a perennial promotion-chasing side like Villa should be a no-brainer for the versatile midfielder.
Sawyers can play as an attacking midfielder, a second striker, a centre-forward or as a deep-sitting midfielder. On his day, he can provide brilliant individual moments. Passing is his forte – no matter how small the gap, Sawyers always seems to be able to thread the ball through and pick out his man.
He developed a telepathic understanding with striker Tom Bradshaw during his Walsall days. As far as Villa are concerned, he could link up well with Tammy Abraham in the final third. He also has an eye for the goal which would make him a valuable asset for this Villa side.
Brentford’s policy has always been to sell players if the right bid comes in for them. Hence, Smith and Villa should go all out in their pursuit of Sawyers. The fact that a club like Villa are interested shows how far Sawyers has come since signing from Walsall.
