Are Aston Villa wise to gamble on Emmanuel Adebayor?

ByDesmond Kane

Updated 28/07/2015 at 21:52 GMT

Tottenham forward Emmanuel Adebayor is set to undergo a medical at Aston Villa on Wednesday ahead of a season-long loan deal that will see him become the club's eighth summer signing, but is it a wise move? We come up with a few reasons why it makes complete sense, and a few others why he could be their biggest waste of money since Bosko Balaban.

Tottenham Hotspur's Emmanuel Adebayor (L) celebrates with his manager Tim Sherwood (R) (Reuters)

Image credit: Reuters

Tottenham's Emmanuel Adebayor

Image credit: PA Photos

Why Adebayor will be a hit among the Villa fans

He scores goals under Tim Sherwood. He made 24 starts and found the net 14 times during Sherwood's six-month spell running Spurs.
He always makes bright starts at clubs as Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Tottenham fans will testify.
He will be their main striker after Christian Benteke's departure.
£100,000 a week wages sounds a lot, but over the course of a season that is fairly cheap for a striker of his calibre. If he succeeds, Villa would be in first place to sign him on a free next summer.
He is Togo's all-time top goalscorer with 28 goals.
He has 134 league goals from 299 starts in France, England and Spain.
He will have a point to prove after being brutally cast aside by the Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.
He has already turned down the chance of £1 million month to wind down his career in Qatar.
He has a strong CV. You don't turn out for Monaco, Arsenal, City, Madrid and Tottenham if you are a dud.
He gets a raw deal from media and fans over his perceived selfish attitude. "A lot of people want a far sexier story than it actually is," said his former Spurs team-mate Brad Friedel. "Adebayor is not a bad lad. He's not bad around the training ground. He causes no issues whatsoever to any of the staff or the player."
He has one of the best goal celebrations in Premier League history to his names. Just don't ask Arsenal fans about it.
He has Harry Redknapp's vote of confidence. "I love Adebayor. He's a real character and a good player."
He also has Jose Mourinho's. "It doesn't matter if he is playing at Real Madrid or Manchester City or another club, he is one of us. He was with us for six months and went to the heart of everybody. He is a great lad and everybody loves him."

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Why Villa's move is an act of folly

He is the wrong side of 30, and has not been playing regularly over the past season.
He is a cheap replacement for a younger forward of real pedigree. Ask Villa fans who they would prefer? £32m and Benteke back at the age of 24 or Adebayor seven years his senior on loan, and most are unlikely to opt for the Spurs man.
He is short-term solution for a long-term problem. His career is dotted with inconsistency. He is not guaranteed to continue any level of goalscoring form after his first season at a club.
He is not the type of bloke to turn to if Villa are battling against relegation.
He is known to unsettle squad harmony, a talented forward prone to a spot of badge kissing who is plagued by accusations of being a troublemaker more interested in his earnings rather than squad unity. He once tried to engineer a move out of Arsenal to Barcelona.
His recent record is no better than Carlton Cole's at West Ham United. If you don't believe us, check this out via Opta.