Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Ross McCormack from Fulham in a £12m deal as they significantly improve their attacking options.
Roberto Di Matteo is plotting an immediate return to the Premier League for the club after their relegation last year, and has been busy in the transfer market.
Having already signed Pierluigi Gollini, Tommy Elphick and Aaron Tshibola, the Italian tactician has now swooped for McCormack to bolster his attacking options and rebuild the spine of his team.
Breaking news: We are delighted to confirm the signing of Ross McCormack in a £12m deal. #AVFC #WelcomeRoss pic.twitter.com/xE8YHxBMFq
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) August 4, 2016
The 29-year-old has scored 66 goals in the Championship in the last three seasons, more than any other player, while also creating more chances from open play than any other player in the last three years too.
In turn, his presence in the final third will be a major boost for Villa who struggled for goals last season, and have looked like they are missing a cutting edge up front in pre-season too.
McCormack will now address that issue and will hope to continue his fine form in the Championship to fire the goals that take Villa back up to the top flight at the first time of asking.
His arrival continues what has been a busy summer for the club with Tony Xia completing his takeover before appointing Di Matteo, with the former Chelsea boss tasked with making big changes at Villa Park.
With a new coaching staff and several players coming in and going out, it’s certainly a fresh start for Villa although plenty of work remains with a number of individuals who were criticised last season for their poor performances and commitment still at the club.
Di Matteo will now have to get the best out of them as it looks unlikely he’ll be able to push them all out of the exit door, but he’s certainly bought well in the market thus far and Villa fans will be growing more and more confident that they will at least be in contention for a spot for promotion this season as they kick off their campaign on Sunday against Sheffield Wednesday.