Christian Benteke looks on his way to Liverpool this summer, and hardly any Aston Villa supporters are begrudging him a move. The Belgian international has wanted out of Villa Park since the end of his debut season – handing in a transfer request in the summer of 2013 – and so many subsequent performances looked to be from a man not happy in the West Midlands.
So would Liverpool be a good move for him? From a career point, yes, but the timing isn’t ideal. He could be joining a hurting side without an identity next season with key players having once again exited Anfield. However, he won’t be a one-man band hauling a club from the mire like at Villa, so chasing a Champions League spot and playing with a strong squad of players in Merseyside should benefit him.
Source: avfc.co.uk
Do Liverpool fit his style? Not in the slightest, but manager Brendan Rodgers knows this. Benteke is the quintessential target man, winning the majority of aerial duels, and hardly ever making runs between the channels. He relies on good consistent support, but is sometime guilty of laziness. Benteke doesn’t run with the ball, and isn’t too intelligent when timing his runs to beat the offside trap, but inside the box with the ball at his feet will see him hit the back of the net more often than not.
The biggest issue is with the opposing playing style between club and player. Liverpool are patient when making the final pass, and rely on clever movement from their forward. In contrast, Aston Villa pumped the ball to their striker at any given opportunity last season to get goals from him. Rodgers may have to review his philosophy somewhat for Benteke to perform.
Will he score goals? Yes. Benteke actually has an impressive record in the Premier League, hitting double figures for goals in the division every season he’s been at Aston Villa – 34 games, 19 goals (2012/13), 26 games, 10 goals (2013/14), and 29 games, 3 goals in (2014/15). He can take penalties, and isn’t an awful free-kick taker either. The 24-year-old can also provide moments of magic – see his overhead kick against Norwich (02/03/14) – so he would be a good addition.
However, Benteke’s role in the Liverpool side is unknown given they have so many strikers currently in the first-team – Daniel Sturridge, Mario Balotelli, Divick Origi, Danny Ings, Fabio Borini, Rickie Lambert. He won’t be happy playing a subsidiary role, as he’s hardly ever impressed from the bench at Villa. Nevertheless, the Reds are potentially signing a useful striker, who has all the attributes to succeed if Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers plays to his strengths. His release clause of £32M may be a little over the odds, but if he can replicate his debut season goal tally on Merseyside (19 goals) then the large fee will have been somewhat justified.
Big thanks to Crippy Crooke for writing this piece.
Max
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