Aston Villa influencer: Cameron Archer deserves lifeline next season but faces Ollie Watkins challenge
Aston Villa loanee Cameron Archer continued his purple patch of goalscoring form for Middlesbrough last weekend, returning to haunt former employers Preston with a well-taken brace.
The 21-year-old took his tally for Michael Carrick’s promotion hopefuls to six goals and three assists from the 12 appearances since making his January switch to the Riverside Stadium.
Archer has piled the pressure on Villa manager Unai Emery to utilise him at Villa Park next season after failing to impress Steven Gerrard enough to earn a regular first-team spot previously.
However, having left a goalscoring trail in his wake at both Preston last year and Middlesbrough this term, Archer looks to be primed and ready for Premier League action in the near future.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Aston Villa podcaster Ty Bracey admitted that Archer deserved a first-team opportunity next season but that he may face an uphill struggle for consistent minutes due to Ollie Watkins’ goalscoring heroics of late.
He said: “In recent times, he has spent a lot of time out on loan, and he’s doing really well at that Championship level, but we all know the Premier League is a different ball game.
“I’d like to see him get given the opportunity, most definitely, but it’s whether his style of play fits into Emery’s system that’s what it boils down to.
“Emery has a certain style of player in every single role in his systems, and if that player isn’t adequate, they won’t stay.
“The number of minutes he could get next season could also be a problem because Ollie Watkins is in the form of his life right now and it would be very hard for Archer to get in the team in front of him consistently.”
Watkins’ purple patch of form and, more recently, the arrival of Jhon Duran at Villa Park are the two major stumbling blocks that could await Archer if he decides to fight for a first-team spot next season.
And with a manager, in Emery, who enjoys playing one winger beside a single striker in a 4-4-2 formation, the opportunities for Archer do look to be scarce.
The club must try to find any avenue they can to integrate the England Under-21 international into the fold in the West Midlands, or they could risk losing one of their brightest academy players from recent times.
In other Aston Villa news, an academy talent is ready for an Unai Emery baptism after what he has done in the Championship.