Why Aston Villa should offload Borja Baston ahead of next season
According to AS (h/t Birmingham Mail), Aston Villa forward Borja Baston is attracting interest from former club Real Zaragoza.
The 28-year-old striker recently arrived from Championship side Swansea on transfer deadline day as a back-up for their injured first-choice striker Wesley. However, Baston, who signed a short-term deal until the end of the summer has been rarely used by Villa boss Dean Smith, making just two Premier League appearances to date.
The Spaniard has played a total of just 16 minutes for the Premier League strugglers. He came off the bench in the games against Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton.
Zaragoza are currently second in the Spanish second division behind leaders Cadiz by one point and will be able to rope in their former forward provided they manage to earn promotion to La Liga.
Meanwhile, it was with his former side Zaragoza that Baston enjoyed his most successful spell. An Atletico Madrid academy player, Baston scored an eye-catching 22 goals from 38 games for Zaragoza in La Liga 2 after moving to the Spanish side in the 2014-15 season.
Baston relaunched his career at Zaragoza after disappointing loan spells at Murcia, Huesca and Deportivo de La Coruña. This earned him another loan move to La Liga side Eibar the following summer.
He impressed at Eibar too, scoring 18 goals from 36 games that season, forcing Premier League side Swansea to secure his services permanently from Atletico in the 2016-17 season.
Baston way down the pecking order at Aston Villa
However, Baston’s goal-scoring skills suffered majorly after moving to England as he could manage just one goal despite playing 18 league games for Swansea in his maiden season. This led to the Spaniard being loaned off to Spanish sides Malaga (2017-18) and Alavés (2018-19) respectively. However, he never looked the same anymore.
In those two seasons in Spain, Baston managed just 7 goals from a total of 47 league appearances, becoming a mere shadow of his former self. Baston started the 2019-20 season with Swansea in the Championship, scoring six goals from 20 league games, before earning a move to Villa on deadline day.
However, Baston has just been a stop-gap solution for the Villans, who needed a cover for their main man Wesley. The Brazilian had suffered a cruciate ligament tear in the Carabao Cup semi-finals against Leicester City in January. This ruled him out for the rest of the season.
With Villa also roping in in-form striker Mbwana Samatta from Belgian side Genk alongside Baston in the winter window. It was clear that Baston was just a back-up option for Smith’s Villans. Samatta has been leading the attack for Villa in the absence of Wesley and is clearly Villa’s first-man till the Brazilian returns to action.
Villa also have academy player and young forward Keinan Davis in their ranks, meaning Baston’s chances will be increasingly limited in the coming days if they decide to keep him. Hence, it would be best if Villa decide to sell Baston as he is clearly way down the pecking order at Villa Park.
Read more:
- Why Aston Villa could make good use of Fabio Borini
- Why Aston Villa should not hold onto Keinan Davis
- Time for goodbye – Why Aston Villa must part ways with Dean Smith’s first-ever signing for the club Lovre Kalinic
Verdict
At the moment, Villa have four forwards in their midst, and Baston is clearly not manager Smith’s top priority. Moreover, with Villa’s future in the top-flight remaining uncertain, the Spaniard just looks surplus to the club’s requirements.
