da dobrowin： According to the Daily Star, Middlesbrough striker Jordan Rhodes has held talks with manager Aitor Karanka about a lack of playing time this term, and could leave the club during the January transfer window.
da 888casino： The Scottish attacker moved to the Teesside outfit in January for £10m from Blackburn Rovers, but has struggled to break into the starting XI, scoring six goals in 22 appearances in all competitions – which includes just four since Boro were promoted to the Premier League.
He has recently lost his place in the Scotland squad, and that could be the catalyst that sees the 26-year-old seek a move away in the not-so-distant future.
Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce, who came close to signing the striker during his time with Hull City, may be interested in bringing the Oldham-born forward to Villa Park as he looks for an instant return to the top flight, and here are four reasons why Rhodes would fire the Villans back to the big time…
He is guaranteed to bring goals
While Steve Bruce has a number of options available to him in the striking positions at Aston Villa with the likes of Jonathan Kodjia, Ross McCormack and Rudy Gestede at his disposal, the club have scored just 17 in 16 Championship matches this season.
Attack is an area that the former Hull manager could look to strengthen in January and Rhodes, who scored 83 goals in 159 Championship fixtures for Blackburn, would certainly fit the bill to sort their goalscoring issues.
He’d have a point to prove
If he did make the move to Villa Park in January – whether it was a loan or a permanent transfer – Rhodes would have a point to prove to Boro boss Karanka.
That would only be a good thing for the Villans, who would have a striker determined to show that he can be a success – and they only way to do that would be to score as many goals as possible.
He’s approaching his prime
It seems as though Rhodes has been around for years and years, but he is 26 and only just approaching his prime.
The Scotland international scored 20+ goals for Blackburn in three consecutive years between 2012 and 2015 – showing what a clinical finisher he is – and if he could recreate that sort of form at Villa Park with even more experience under his belt, they would surely make an instant return to the Premier League.
He would link up with Rudy Gestede again
Rhodes and Gestede scored 41 Championship goals between them for Blackburn in the 2014/15 campaign, and it is numbers like those that could have Bruce salivating at the thought of them working alongside one another again.
The duo seemed to have a brilliant understanding and if they were to link up and produce a similar goal return in the second half of the season, Villa would surely book their place back in the Premier League.