After the first nine Gameweeks of the previous campaign, Andreas Weimann cut a peripheral figure for Aston Villa. Having started just five times under Alex McLeish in 2011/12, the young Austrian looked to have assumed the role of bench-warmer once again – with two starts and no goals to his name as November arrived, Paul Lambert’s continual first-team tinkering proved severely detrimental to his game time.
As the season unfolded, however, Weimann’s prospects improved in leaps and bounds. While Christian Benteke hogged the headlines with a series of barnstorming displays in his debut season at Villa Park, Weimann’s contribution up top was also crucial over the final few months. Ending the 2012/13 campaign with seven goals, four assists and 13 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) bonus points, Weimann registered 105 points over 26 starts to suggest he may be ready to offer us a genuine, budget-friendly alternative for our three man forward lines next time out.
Key Factors
- Similar to our previous Great Expectations article on Villa right-back Matt Lowton, an increased tactical consistency should help Weimann’s prospects. Lambert’s tinkering meant the Austrian was utilised in a variety of positions last time round – although fielded on the left, through the middle and in “the holeâ€, he finally looks to have nailed down a front right role in a 4-3-3, with Gabby Agbonlahor on the opposite flank and Benteke through the middle.
- As the battle for relegation heated up, Weimann became a key member of Villa’s first XI. He started just 12 of Villa’s first 24 league fixtures, with a further four appearances off the bench, but from Gameweek 25 onwards he started every one of his side’s matches – given that Villa ended the campaign with five wins and two draws from their last 10 games, their improving form indicates Lambert’s side was finally starting to gel as the season came to a close.
- Weimann’s eye for goal highlights his capabilities against some of the more established sides. The youngster bagged a brace against United and also notched against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal, racking up three sets of double figures last time round. Indeed, his crucial presence in the first XI is highlighted by Villa’s attacking output – they scored 39 goals in the 26 games he started (1.5 goals per game) compared to eight strikes in the 12 games (0.66 goals per game) without Weimann in the starting line-up.
- While Benteke’s 19 goals, four assists and total of 166 FPL points made a mockery of his initial 6.5 starting price last term, the Belgian is primed for a significant price hike which could well knock him off many radars. A cost of 8.5 to 9.5 for Benteke looks realistic and with Agbonlahor also finishing the season strongly, his value is likely to be frozen across the Fantasy games, with a possible increase to 7.5 in the FPL on the cards. Weimann should remain the budget option for Lambert’s forwards, then – a cost around 5.5 to 6.0 in FPL could well prove a bargain as he looks to push on from last term’s first-team breakthrough.
