Emile Heskey set for a January dilemma

There aren’t many people that would have thought we would be discussing the possibility of an Emile Heskey transfer less than a year after his high-profile transfer to Villa Park. It is no secret that the England man has both failed to settle and impress with the Midlands club, despite manager Martin O’Neill being a keen admirer and having previously worked with the striker.

Heskey is a little bit like marmite, you either love him or you hate him. His role as a target man is one that is preferred my many managers, including O’Neill, however people have rightly question the Irishman’s decision to bring Heskey to Villa Park, when Norwegian John Carew has spent years impressing in the target man role. The strike partnership of Carew and young striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has flourished in recent years and has contributed greatly to the success the Villians have experienced in the last few campaigns. It is the performance of these two, along with a series of injuries to Heskey that has seen the ex-Wigan man spend much of his time on the bench.

Luckily for Heskey, one of his biggest plaudits is England manager Fabio Capello, a huge boost for the striker who is looking to be on that plane to South Africa come next summer. Heskey does however have a huge dilemma in front of him. Capello clearly favours taking a target man as one of his four strikers, but Heskey cannot bank on this for his place with the increasingly impressive performances of Carlton Cole – who is currently keeping the West Ham ship afloat.  Heskey needs first team games and fast. If he is not first choice for Aston Villa then he should not expect to make England’s twenty-three. He must leave Villa Park in January.

Since admitting first team football is key to an international place, Heskey has been linked to a host of Premier League clubs. One of these is former club Liverpool. It is no secret that the Merseysiders have been in a state of turmoil recently, and although many would argue Heskey would need to make a step down for first team football, a move to Anfield may not be a bad idea. Liverpool lack a second experienced Premier League striker and Heskey is of the opposite mould to Torres, meaning it is a partnership that could work. The England man has also been linked to return moves to Wigan and Birmingham, as well as speculation of interest from Ewood Park. Heskey would once again be the talisman at any of these clubs, and it is a role that would be could both re-ignite his club career and would without doubt be beneficial for staking a claim for a seat on the plane to South Africa. The longer that he spends warming the bench at Villa Park the further away his dream of lining up alongside Wayne Rooney in England’s opening World Cup game becomes.