MLS’ former Spurs striker lined up for Aston Villa loan switch
Published:The sight of Christian Benteke filling an Aston Villa shirt again after an injury layoff is sure to settle the nerves around the goal-shy midlands club, but with a league-low four goals to their name this season, it’s clear that the Belgian alone can’t return the club to regular celebrations.
A January loan move for a proven Premier League scorer would certainly benefit Paul Lambert’s side, especially as Benteke will likely take his time to regain full match sharpness, and two are thought to be up for grabs once the MLS season draws to a close.
Rather than plump for Jermain Defoe from Toronto FC, the Villa maestro looks to prefer the merits of the Englishman’s former teammate, Clint Dempsey.
The American is known to enjoy a temporary return to the Premier League during lulls in the US footballing calendar and took the chance to rejoin Fulham for two months last season.
Although he didn’t manage to find the net in his five appearances for the Cottagers, his stint back with the then top-flight strugglers came after an indifferent first season with the Seattle Sounders, in which he scored just once in 12 outings.
This time around the USA skipper is in fine fettle, finding the net 15 times in 23 starts and registering seven assists in addition.
Aston Villa aren’t the only club looking to snap up the part-time rapper’s services, with Stoke and QPR both jostling for position on the striker as well.
Linking up with Lambert for a brief stint looks to be the most appealing for the 31-year-old, with Villa in desperate need of striking reinforcement and more likely to hand Dempsey regular game time.
Villa complete the week’s action with a trip to face QPR on Monday evening, a game they are rated at 7/4 not to score in.
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