By Kevin Mapasure Warriors midfielder Marvelous Nakamba will be back under the spotlight this afternoon as his Premier League side Aston Villa host Newcastle at 4pm Zimbabwean time.
Nakamba is one of the players that were heavily criticized following the team’s defeat to Watford last week.
His performance triggered calls for the club to recruit a central midfielder but Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has hinted that he is done with transfer activity in this window.
“We are looking comfortable with where we are, its a stronger squad than it was last season,” Smith was quoted as to have said in the Birmingham Mail.
But his statement has not doused speculation about the club’s plans to bring in more competition for Nakamba.
Aston Villa lost the match 3-2 away to the topflight returnees with Nakamba playing the full 90 minutes alongside John McGinn in the midfield last Saturday.
The 27 year old former Vitesse midfielder has been criticized for his lack of attacking edge among other things.
During the week the Birmingham Mail suggested that the club is out in the market for another central midfielder but if they fail to recruit, they may reinvent Axel Tuanzebe into the holding midfielder.
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Aston Villa fans are demanding that the club signs a new midfielder and a number of names have been suggested.
“The performance of Marvelous Nakamba against Watford left a lot to be desired in the eyes of the claret and blue faithful,” the newspaper reported.
“Villa have been linked with several different names labelled as the necessary “anchors” in midfield that the team needs. Players such as Cheick Doucoure, Pape Matar Sarr and Andre-Franck Zambo Anguissa have all been heavily linked. However, with time dwindling down it is looking increasingly less likely that the club will invest in this position. If they choose not to invest in this position, what options does Dean Smith have at his disposal going into future games? Nakamba has both impressed and disappointed and fails to build up any real momentum in the squad due to the limitations he has as a player,” Birmingham Mail said.
“Another option is the return of Douglas Luiz, the Olympic Gold medal winner has recently returned from his international successes and could return to the holding midfielder role he occupied so frequently last season. Another option that has been suggested is using Axel Taunzebe as a central defensive midfielder, the use of a centre back in midfield would give the squad the necessary enforcer fans have been requesting throughout this summer. This position isn’t unfamiliar to Tuanzebe, he has played 489 minutes in this position in his career, at both youth and senior level. His most recent performance in this role came in the Europa League fixture against Real Sociedad.”
Nakamba has been linked with a move to Everton and Crystal Palace but the player prefers to stay on and fight for his place at Villa.
Yesterday the newspaper insisted that the club will splash on a midfielder despite having already spent 95m of the 100m they got from the sale of Jack Grealish.
If he gets a run, Nakamba will play infront of a full house at Villa Park for the first time since early last year.
