Martin Keown issues worrying ‘downgrade’ claim in prediction for West Ham v Aston Villa clash. Martin Keown has issued a claim that will worry Aston Villa fans ahead of their trip to West Ham this evening.
Aston Villa be eager to make a strong start to the season when they head to the London Stadium, as Unai Emery decides whether to select Ollie Watkins up front. The Remarkable Rise of the Spanish National…The big question surrounding Villa is whether they can maintain last season’s performances while competing in the Champions League. Despite making seven new signings, Chris Sutton thinks the Villans will find it ‘difficult’ to juggle both competitions.
On the other hand, midfielder John McGinn has used Tottenham’s 2019 run to the final as an example of what can be achieved in Europe’s elite competition, even if it takes a toll on the club’s league form. Unfortunately, not everyone shares McGinn’s confidence, with former Arsenal defender Martin Keown outlining one concerning factor of their transfer window.
Martin Keown thinks the decision to sell Douglas Luiz was ‘bonkers’
Villa entered the summer needing to sell player(s) to comply with PSR regulations and they chose to offload star midfielder Douglas Luiz to Juventus.
The Brazilian was the glue that held the midfield together last term and was transformed as an attacking force under Emery, recording nine goals and as many assists in all competitions.
Selling Luiz was always going to cause controversy given his importance in last season’s fourth-place finish, as Keown believes the decision to sell the 26-year-old was ‘bonkers’ and he isn’t convinced the £50 million signing of Amadou Onana is the answer.
In his column for the Daily Mail, Keown has labelled the Belgian a ‘downgrade’ on Luiz, writing: “Aston Villa, Saturday’s visitors to the London Stadium, are another club going through change as they embrace a Champions League season. It’s bonkers to have sold Douglas Luiz. Amadou Onana (he cost £50million!) is a downgrade.
“Like West Ham, they have been creative in the market and there will be new faces on show for them, too. There is a lot of talk about Hull’s stand-out from last season, Jaden Philogene, a winger with bags of skill. Let’s have a good look at him.” Despite adding Ross Barkley, Onana and Enzo Barrenchea as new midfielders, Emery hasn’t arguably replaced his star man in the centre of the park and that will be a cause for concern.
Martin Keown predicts Aston Villa’s clash against West Ham
Keown didn’t sound too confident when speaking about Villa’s chances, although he does expect the Birmingham outfit to earn a ‘hard-fought draw’ in East London.
He also thinks it will be interesting to see who finishes highest out of the two teams, as he expects the Hammers to use the visitors as a ‘pacemaker’ to achieve European football.
“I fancy a hard-fought draw and a season of challenge as they look to repeat a top-four finish, but with a large European distraction this time,” Keown added.
“It will be interesting to see who finishes highest out of these two teams. Perhaps West Ham could use Villa as their pacemaker through the season. Can they keep up?” Last season, Villa drew 1-1 at the London Stadium as a late Nicolo Zaniolo strike secured a point. They’ll be looking to go one better this season and kick their campaign off with a bang.
