Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke scored the winning goal in the Villans’ 1-0 away win against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. The Belgian international, 24, has scored eight goals in his last six games for Tim Sherwood’s team. Now boasting a tally of 10 goals from 21 starts in the Premier League this season, Benteke is once again attracting interest from a host of clubs.
The 24-year-old has found his scoring boots, and is brilliantly spearheading the attack as he was back in 2012. Benteke struggled for large parts of the season under predecessor Paul Lambert, but Sherwood has worked hard to get the best form out of him. His goals have become crucial in Aston Villa’s fight to avoid further trouble in the Premier League table. By finding the goal on a regular basis, Benteke has also taken giants steps towards restoring his reputation in Europe.
“Benteke is prolific. Give him a chance and he will score. His responsibility is to hurt the other team and score goals – he’s doing that. The shackles are off. If you create chances for them they’ll score. Now we are playing it to Benteke a lot earlier, keeping him in the game is key. It stretches the opposition,” said manager Tim Sherwood.
Tottenham were one of many sides linked with Benteke’s services last season, but the Londoners instead opted for former Valencia hitman Roberto Soldado. However, the Spanish international failed to prove his worth in the Premier League, forcing manager Mauricio Pochettino to find a suitable alternative.
Aston Villa value the Belgian striker at around £20 million, yet his value might rise further if he continues to impress. It is quite extraordinary to think based on his current form that Benteke is the same player who scored just three goals in all competitions up until March.
Signed from Belgian Jupiler League club Genk for £7M in the summer of 2012, Benteke has provided an impressive return of goals. He has not matched his debut season of 19 Premier League goals, but has scored in double figures in league play in each of his three seasons in England. There should not be a shortage of interest in the summer as a result, with Liverpool and Tottenham desperate for a striker of Benteke’s ilk.
So has the Belgian international put himself as a worthy transfer candidate ahead of this summer?
