Aston Villa had the subsequent Benteke below Sherwood, then he left as an enormous flop

Aston Villa have been blessed with some prime attackers over current years, notably within the striker division, with Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran protruding after all in Unai Emery’s present camp.

Between them this season – Premier League numbers alone – the electrical duo have amassed 9 objectives as main males for his or her facet, because the Spaniard hopes they will get again to their finest after the worldwide break is up.

There are many different examples away from the right here and now too, with Christian Benteke one identify that can deliver up waves of nostalgia for Villa followers as a pointy shooter from years passed by.

Christian Benteke’s numbers at Villa

Benteke is now seeing out his enjoying days like many waning gamers of his ilk do, strutting their stuff within the MLS earlier than retirement begins to loom ever nearer.

However, earlier than he was a assured objective machine on the books of DC United – who he has bagged a formidable 25 objectives for from his final 33 video games – the Belgian was a dependable goalscorer for the Villans too, after the Premier League membership’s punt on the ex-KRC Genk man greater than paid off.

In whole, Benteke – who value £7m to get in by means of the door in 2012 from his native nation – would hearth residence 49 objectives from 101 video games within the West Midlands, happening as a modern-day nice at Villa Park within the course of.

Sadly, Benteke can be snapped up by Liverpool after discovering the again of the online 13 occasions throughout his swansong Villa marketing campaign, costing the Reds a bumper £32.5m to choose up in the summertime of 2015.

Whatever the improvement that the previous Villa quantity 20 would go on to be an costly waste at Anfield, his former employers nonetheless did not adequately fill the void left behind by the Belgian in that very same switch window, with one eventual flop meant to melt the almighty blow.

The striker signed to switch Benteke

Rudy Gestede would be a part of the top-flight titans a month after Benteke’s exit to the Reds, costing simply £6m, as Villa had been made to remorse not splashing their newly obtained hundreds of thousands on changing their former hero with a star of the same high quality.

The previous Blackburn Rovers man’s ‘bodily presence brings comparisons to Christian Benteke‘ – because the Day by day Mail famous on the time – whereas then-boss Tim Sherwood described his new signing as “higher than something I’ve seen round in English soccer”, with regard to his “immense” aerial presence.

Because it was, Gestede – who “terrorises defenders”, in keeping with Sherwood – very a lot struggled to deal with the calls for of the league above after being fished out of the Championship, scoring simply 5 occasions within the Premier League throughout his debut season which resulted in his new employers struggling relegation.

Aston Villa notable strikes: 2015 summer time window
Gamers in	Gamers out
Jordan Ayew	Christian Benteke
Jordan Amavi	Fabian Delph
Jordan Veretout	Andreas Weimann
Rudy Gestede	Yacouba Sylla
Joleon Lescott	Darren Bent
Micah Richards	Matthew Lowton
Sourced by Transfermarkt

Trying on the notable ins and outs from that fateful summer time, it is no actual shock that Villa struggled within the method they did, with Fabian Delph’s exit additionally hitting the Villans arduous centrally, on prime of each Andreas Weimann and Darren Bent leaving depleting the firepower much more.

Nonetheless, Gestede ought to have gone on to shine in his new location after relegation, contemplating he had been snapped up after serving to himself to 20 objectives for Blackburn within the second tier.

But, the objectives simply weren’t forthcoming right here both, because the now-retired 6 foot 4 ahead solely mustered up ten strikes in whole for the West Midlands facet, earlier than being bought to Middlesbrough for £6m.

Meaning Gestede was bought for round £26m lower than what Villa managed to get out of Liverpool for Benteke, as he by no means went on to develop into a hero in the same method to the Belgian, now arguably rating among the many worst Villa signings of contemporary reminiscence, contemplating the expectation ranges when he signed.

It is clear now that the previous Benin worldwide simply could not deal with the brilliant lights of the Premier League after making such an enormous transfer, nor the unhelpful label put above him that he might exchange such an icon instantly.