Neal Maupay Links Are Obvious and Lazy, but Exciting

Aston Villa being linked to Maupay is lazy journalism, but it’s also so exciting.

Words by Regan Foy | @FindFoy

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Aston Villa’s recent links to Brentford forward Neal Maupay are extremely lazy from major journalism outfits like The Sun, but they’re also incredibly exciting.

The striker was linked to Aston Villa as a replacement for the potentially outgoing Tammy Abraham in January, but it was fairly obvious that Villa would be priced out of a move.

Now that Aston Villa have returned to the Premier League, these rumours have surfaced again – and the only reason these rumours are surfacing is because Maupay has already been a succesful player for Dean Smith at Brentford.

Maupay is an exciting prospect that is still only 22-years-old and scoring for fun in the Sky Bet Championship of late – especially in an average Brentford side that finished 11th in the season that just finished. He’s known for having a bull-dog like approach, much like John McGinn, and whilst he isn’t a tall target man like Tammy Abraham and Jonathan Kodjia, he certainly knows how to find the goal – netting 25 goals last season.

The former French Under-21 international would cost around £20,000,000 – a price that makes sense during the current transfer climate. He’s young, proven in England but not in the Premier League, and has bags of potential to still fulfil.

It’s an exciting prospect to be linked with Maupay, and something that fans should have expected once Aston Villa confirmed their promotion – but it’s an easy prediction to make for the media – speculating that Dean Smith could re-unite with the player and “get the best out of him”. Smith struggled to do that with Hogan at Villa, so why would Maupay necessarily be a revelation?

The striker is often likened to Mitrovic due to a nasty-streak, and that’s something that is missing from Aston Villa’s squad at the moment. As long as that streak doesn’t escape into the dressing room, most fans wouldn’t be against Neal Maupay in claret and blue next season. Especially when he’s settled in England, unlike other strikers that have been linked with the club.

Should the club actually be interested in signing the Brentford forward, they are said to be facing stiff competition from Burnley, Brighton and the newly promoted sides of Norwich and Sheffield United.