Aston Villa kicked off their summer shopping towards the end of last week by acquiring attacking midfielder Aleksander Tonev from Polish outfit Lech Pozman. The 23-year-old Bulgarian arrives at the midlands on a three-year-deal for a fee in the region of £2.5m and, according to reports, knocked back moves to Glasgow Celtic and Werder Bremen in order to push the move through:
Having passed a medical and agreed terms with Paul Lambert’s side, Tonev will join up at Villa Park this week once the paperwork is complete and reunite with compatriot Stiliyan Petrov. The former Bulgaria and Villa captain – who is now an assistant development coach at the club following his retirement – explained just what Tonev will bring to the Villa first-team:
“I think Villa fans have one exciting player on their hands. He doesn’t have a dominant foot which is really interesting and the main thing about him. He is quick, he is an exciting player and I think Villa fans will see he is a good player. He is the kind of player who can really make an impact in this young, exciting team. We spoke last night and he is really looking forward to it. He knows that it will be a challenge but he is ready for it.”
The History
A product of the CSKA Sofia youth academy, Tonev made his first-team debut as an 18-year-old towards the end of the 2007-08 campaign. He featured four times over the remainder of the season before being farmed out on loan to OFC Sliven 2000, where he produced a goal and three assists over 21 appearances. Back at his parent club the following year, Tonev notched two goals and a couple of assists in 23 fixtures and, after being voted the Bulgarian Young Player of the Year by his fellow-professionals, was snapped up by Poznan prior to the start of the 2011/12 campaign.
The 23-year-old lasted two seasons in Poland, where, installed as a regular starter, he made 54 appearances, finding the net on seven occasions in addition to providing five assists. On the international stage, Villa’s new boy has represented his country at Under 19 and Under 21 level a total of 20 times, scoring on four occasions, and has also made 11 appearances at senior level, netting a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Malta last March.
The Prospects
Having staved off the threat of relegation and steered Villa to a fifteenth place finish in his first season in charge, Lambert is now beginning to build on the foundations of an erratic first campaign. The former Norwich manager switched formation on several occasions, operating with three, four and even five at the back but as the season came to a close, he seemed to have settled on a 4-3-3, with Christian Benteke flanked by Gabby Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann.
Given his penchant for a long range effort, it’s likely that Tonev has been earmarked for the most advanced role in the midfield three, with a couple of ball-winning battlers such as Ashley Westwood and Fabian Delph sitting deep and affording him license to bomb on and help the attack. A slight alteration in shape could see him take up the role in “the hole” behind Benteke in a 4-2-3-1 and, given that Agbonlahor and Weimann are likely to be once again listed as forwards across the Fantasy games, his classification as a midfielder could boost his potential if he hits the ground running.
Although Villa struggled for most of last season, their form towards the end affords reason for optimism next time out. Five wins and two draws in the final 10 Gameweeks, with defeats only at the hands of Liverpool, United and Chelsea, is indicative in their upturn in form, as Lambert’s tactics, and raft of new acquisitions, finally started to gel. Given that the midlanders scored 21 times in the last 10 matches, compared to 26 in the opening 28 matches, it’s a significant turnaround which will have Fantasy managers keeping a keen eye on their assets over the pre-season.
Keeping Benteke will be key to Villa’s evolution and if the big Belgian stays put, he’ll undoubtedly be the midlanders’ most-wanted Fantasy target. Tonev – similar to Benteke last time out – should initially remain under the radar and looks likely to be favourably priced across the Fantasy games, with a cost in the region of 5.5 to 6.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) potentially decent value for the campaign ahead. In all likelihood, though, we’ll be happy to sit back and give Tonev the chance to find his feet at Villa but, if the opening set of fixtures prove favourable, his appeal as an option for our five man midfields could be fast-tracked – all the more so if Benteke’s 2012/13 exploits see him breach the 9.0 mark when the price lists are revealed next month and we’re forced to look elsewhere.
