Borja Baston: Have Aston Villa trumped Man Utd in battle to make the strangest deadline day signing?
Aston Villa have bolstered their attacking options with the signing of Borja Bastón from Swansea City on a free transfer.
Dean Smith had wanted to add strikers to his squad after Wesley suffered a season-ending knee injury on New Year’s Day and completed a move for Tanzanian forward Mbwana Samatta from Club Brugge last week.
Bastón will add further depth to Villa’s strikeforce after being allowed to leave Swansea for nothing, six months before his contract was set to expire.
The 27-year-old became Swansea’s club-record signing in 2016 when he joined in a £15.5m deal from Atlético Madrid but he struggled to make an impact in the Premier League.
Welcome to Aston Villa, @BorjaBaston! 🙌
Breaking news brought to you by @eToro.#WelcomeBorja #AVFC
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 31, 2020
Bastón managed just one goal in 18 Premier League appearances for the Swans during the 2016-17 season and spent two subsequent campaigns on loan with Málaga and Alaves.
The former Spain youth international returned to the Liberty Stadium last summer and initially made a positive impact under Steve Cooper, scoring six goals in his first nine Championship appearances this season.
However, Bastón has failed to score in his last dozen matches for the Swans, dating back to a 1-1 draw against Reading in September and he has recently lost his place to Liverpool loanee Rhian Brewster.
Mbwana Samatta made his Aston Villa debut against Leicester City this week (Picture: PA)
Bastón is set to become Villa’s fourth arrival of the transfer window following on from Samatta as well as Danny Drinkwater and Pepe Reina, who joined on loan from Chelsea and AC Milan, respectively.
Considering his struggles with Swansea, Bastón’s arrival perhaps rivals Odion Ighalo’s move from Shanghai Shenhua to Manchester United as one of the stranger deadline days to have been completed…
Villa are just two points clear of the relegation zone ahead of a pivotal match with 18th-placed Bournemouth on Saturday and Smith will be hoping that Bastón can help the club stay in the Premier League.
