Micah Richards urges Aston Villa to make move for striker with excellent goal record in the Championship

Aston Villa fans have been treated to one of their best starts to a season in a number of years and the club are firmly in the Champions League fight as we approach the halfway stage of the season.

Villa’s sensational home form has been the catalyst for their success and they currently find themselves just two points behind league leaders Liverpool with 35 points from their opening 16 games.

Back-to-back home victories over last season’s top two in Manchester City and Arsenal has further cemented Unai Emery’s side's credentials as top four contenders. While the January transfer window offers the team further opportunities to bolster their squad depth.

With the challenges of knockout football in the Europa Conference League and the start of the FA Cup, it is thought by former Aston Villa captain Micah Richards that the club should make a move to sign a striker to provide further competition for Ollie Watkins.

Watkins has led the line excellently this term and is the club’s top scorer in the league with eight goals and six assists from 16 league starts. 

The England international has also scored a further five goals in seven European appearances and has been the main man throughout the season.

Aston Villa have Colombian youngster Jhon Duran as their backup striker, while winger Moussa Diaby can act as a makeshift centre forward when needed.

Richards believes that Watkins needs further support to help Aston Villa during a strenuous second half of the season and has urged the club to make a move for another forward.

Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, Richards said: “You know who I’m going to go with, someone left field and you guys probably haven’t seen him play, no disrespect because we don’t watch a lot of Championship.

“Someone like a (Ben) Brereton Diaz. Someone who’s just below a level, that’s what I’m trying to say.”

Ben Brereton Diaz is a 24-year-old Chilean striker with 27 appearances and seven goals at international level. He was regularly amongst the Championship’s top scorers for Blackburn and scored 36 goals in 80 appearances during his final two seasons at Ewood Park.

During the summer transfer window, he completed a move to join Spanish giants Villarreal but has struggled to make the desired impact in La Liga and he is still waiting for his first goal after a combined 17 appearances in all competitions.

The striker is also reported to be a target for Daniel Farke’s Leeds United team as they target promotion back to the Championship, according to Leeds.Live.