I have never been entirely convinced by new Aston Villa signing Stewart Downing. He does have a decent left foot and he has done wonders to keep Middlesbrough battling it out in the top league for a few years but I’ve never thought he was an international player.
Track record
Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill obviously highly rates the twenty-four year old left winger and he has a pretty good track record with his selection of players. He has signed Downing for £12 million on a four-year deal from Middlesbrough.
He is Villa’s first new signing of the summer and whilst his arrival will have been given a cautious welcome by most Villa fans I guess there must be an element of worry that the excellent Ashley Young, who played wide left all last season to great effect, might just be on his way. Martin O’Neill is clear that Young is staying, but the fear must be there.
Like many other players before him, Downing was m mightily impressed by O’Neill as soon as he met him. He told the Aston Villa website,
“I wanted to come as soon as I met Martin so I’m delighted it’s now sorted out. As an outsider looking in, it was obvious Villa are a club on the up. I want to be part of that.”
Although only twenty-four, it is some seven years since Downing made his debut for Middlesbrough. He has made one hundred and eighty-one league appearances for the club. Downing was born in the town and is a graduate of the club’s highly acclaimed academy.
One of the reasons for the move which must be a wrench for the player is that he is keen to add to his twenty-three England caps. With Middlesbrough dropping into the Championship that was always going to be difficult.
He told the Middlesbrough website,
“I want to play at next year’s World Cup so that’s my aim, to get back to full fitness, get back playing and get myself in the England team for the World Cup. I loved the last World Cup, but I want to play a bigger part this time. I have to be with a good Premier League side if I want to do that.”
By getting to back to full fitness he is referring to a foot injury that he ironically picked up against Villa in the last game of last season. He has had surgery on the injury and is unlikely to be fit prior to October at the earliest.
Transfer request
Downing had signed a new five year deal at Middlesbrough in February 2008 but he had handed in a written transfer request to the club in January 2009. That was refused but chairman Steve Gibson said that he would be allowed to move on if the club were relegated.
In an attempt to keep the peace with the fans of the club he loves and who surely understand why he has had to move on, Downing added,
“I hope the fans understand that I’m ambitious and want to win things and this move gives me a chance of that. But I’ll always be a Boro fan.”
I truly hope that when he gets back to fitness Stewart Downing proves me totally wrong and fully justifies his transfer fee. It is many years since England have had an effective left footed wide player and the lack of width in the team when Joe Cole or Steve Gerrard or Wayne Rooney fullfil that role is well documented.
Impact
We shall wait to see what impact he can have at a club who are likely to be at the ‘right’ end of the table and where he is not the ‘star man’.
I hope he succeeds but I am still not convinced.
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