Micah Richards tells Aston Villa to complete ‘left-field’ January transfer

Latest Aston Villa transfer news and chat as BBC pundit urged his former club to sign a striker in forthcoming window

Aston Villa have been told to make a left-field move for Ben Brereton Diaz in the January transfer

In order to provide Ollie Watkins additional insurance as they aim for a Champions League spot, Micah Richards has informed Aston Villa that they might need to recruit a striker in January. Ben Brereton Diaz is one potential target.

The former player for Nottingham Forest and Blackburn Rovers moved to Spain in the summer, but despite making 17 appearances for the Spanish team so far this season, he has not scored. It has sparked rumors that Premier League and Championship teams may be interested in signing him back to England during the January transfer window.

“If Watkins was to get injured. they’ve got Duran, but I would go out and potentially get an experienced striker that could see them through when they need to give Ollie Watkins a rest,” Richards told the Rest Is Football podcast when discussing potential January targets for Villa.

“Ivan Toney would be a great one, yes, but I think he would want to start every game, so it’s very difficult if you still want to play the same system to have someone who can come into the team, do a very good job but is not expected to play every week, and that’s why it’s a little bit difficult.”

When pushed for the name of a possible target, Richards paused and that suggested the former Blackburn man.

“You know who I’m going to go with, no disrespect intended, but you guys probably haven’t watched him play because we don’t watch a lot of football championships,” he remarked. “Someone akin to the Blackburn student Ben Brereton Diaz.” I mean, someone who’s kind of on the edge of a certain level.

“Kelechi Iheanacho?” Gary Lineker continued. He isn’t accessible.

Brereton Diaz, a Stoke native, scored 47 goals in 177 games for Blackburn before completing his relocation to Spain. In his 21 international appearances, the 24-year-old has scored seven goals for Chile, a team for which he is eligible to play thanks to his mother.

• Read more on sportupdates.co.uk