Aston Villa manager Dean Smith could sign a huge upgrade on Trezeguet in Norwich City winger Todd Cantwell.

What's the story?

After The Telegraph claimed last summer that Villa were considering a move for the £19.8m-rated Canaries ace, it has now been suggested that the Midlands club are continuing to monitor Cantwell as they look to strengthen Smith's options in the final third.

Villa have already done business with Norwich in this summer transfer window, having sealed a deal for Buendia.

Huge upgrade on Trezeguet

While Villa enjoyed a superb campaign last season in the Premier League and ended up just finishing outside the top ten, one player who struggled to really produce the goods going forward was Trezeguet.

The Egyptian managed just two goals and one assist in 21 top-flight games and missed considerable amounts of game-time through injury, with the latest one a devastating ACL blow which is set to keep him out for a year according to reports.

Even if Trezeguet makes his comeback sooner rather than later, though, Villa could bring in a massive upgrade on the 26-year-old in Cantwell.

Described as someone with a "God-given" talent by his former youth team coach Gary Cockaday, the 23-year-old helped lead Norwich's charge back to the Premier League last season, netting six goals and setting up another seven in the Championship.

Former Norwich striker Dean Ashton raved about him, saying: "When I first saw him I said to Darren Huckerby, ‘how is that lad not training with the first-team?'. He was incredible. The way he was drifting past players. His speed of thought and his awareness. He’s just a wonderful player."

Cantwell's directness and willingness to take players on saw him average an impressive 1.6 dribbles per game in the Championship last season, which ranked him joint-top for the Canaries alongside Buendia. Compare that with Trezeguet, who could only manage half as many with 0.8 dribbles per match in the Premier League.

In fact, as per Whoscored, Cantwell also averaged more shots, key passes and fouls won per match than the Egyptian, while also boasting more passes per game and at a far better pass accuracy too.

All in all, Cantwell outshone the Villa man in all the key attacking categories last season, and given that he's also three years younger and already has some Premier League experience under his belt with Norwich, he could offer Smith a real upgrade on the injury-stricken Trezeguet if Villa can entice him to follow Buendia's path from Norfolk.

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