View: Cameron Archer can claim Aston Villa first-team spot with successful Middlesbrough loan
Aston Villa have agreed to sent young striker Cameron Archer to Middlesbrough on loan for the rest of the season, and it could be a masterstroke.
The young striker was set to leave the club on loan during the summer only for his fine form in pre-season to convince Steven Gerrard to keep him around the first team.
But opportunities have been sparce so far this season and with Unai Emery replacing Gerrard there were doubts about whether he would get to see minutes more regularly or not.
TalkSPORT journalist Alex Crook suggested on 4 January that 21-year-old Archer will join in-form Championship side Middlesbrough now on loan until the end of the season, as Michael Carrick looks to bolster his own attacking options to push for promotion to the Premier League.
For Villa, Archer and Middlesbrough, this move looks almost perfect on paper.
During a loan spell away with Preston in the second half of last season Archer hit seven goals in 17 appearances for a side that were nowhere near as good as this Boro side are.
But further to that, there is the belief that both Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins won’t be together at Villa Park from next season. One of them is likely to leave, and that creates a space for Archer to slot in.
In fact, Ings has been linked with a move away to Everton during the January window, but it seems unlikely that he’d leave mid-season unless Emery was able to bring someone else in to replace him.
Should he leave in January or the summer though, Archer will know that firing in the Championship again this season will almost certainly see him earn regular Premier League football next season.
Whether that is at Villa or elsewhere remains to be seen, but Emery would be crazy to let him go after he penned a new long-term deal in the summer if he scoring goals for fun.
Watkins has been wasteful in front of goal since Emery’s arrival, but his movement and pace have been extremely useful to the way the team play. Archer can replicate that, making him a great fit for the team.
This is the change for Archer to make it at Aston Villa, and everyone will be keeping their eyes peeled to see if he can do it.
In other Aston Villa news, Jan Bednarek return to Southampton will make no difference to Villa