A step down in the table, a step up in potential.
Barnsley’s Irish skipper is set for a move to Aston Villa in a reported £1.25million transfer.
The 25-year-old is said to be in line for a bumper deal that would see him earn £28,000-a-week at Villa Park as Steve Bruce tries to stave off interest from a host of other Championship clubs.
Hecky: "There are probably dozens of club's interested in Conor Hourihane. And that's the way it will continue given the way he's playing"
— Barnsley FC (@BarnsleyFC) January 13, 2017
According to The Sun, Barnsley have accepted a bid from Villa for the central midfielder and they’re set to offer him over four times more than what his current wages command.
Hourihane is out of contract at the end of the season and is expected to move on in this window.
Steve Bruce has been crying out for a midfielder since coming in to take over from Roberto Di Matteo. Villa have a good side and their form has picked up drastically under the Englishman but they’ve had passengers in the engine room for too long and they’re not absolutely dominating games like they should be.
On the same weekend that Villa’s two starting central midfielders touched the ball nine times between them in 45 minutes of football – genuinely – Conor Hourihane put on a masterclass.
Heatmap displays of touches for #AVFC midfielders today (via @WhoScored)
Gary Gardner: 6
Ashley Westwood: 3
Aaron Tshibola: 47 pic.twitter.com/1Km9tnWVF9— Jack Grimse (@JackGrimse) January 2, 2017
Aston Villa – the newly-relegated Aston Villa, the huge club, the ambitious club – had a midfielder who made two passes in a whole half of football.
Barnsely, meanwhile, had a leader of men.
Now here’s Barnsley’s Conor Hourihane with 80 against Forest. Oh and he also scored the winner in the 88th minute. pic.twitter.com/fJm6zh2pDu
— Jack Grimse (@JackGrimse) January 2, 2017
With Jedinak, Gardner and Ashley bloody Westwood the three men preferred by Bruce so far, Hourihane would walk into the Villa team with his eyes closed.
Him and Tshibola and the possible arrival of Henri Lansbury from Forest could be exactly what the side need.
But, make no mistake about it, this could also be a big break for Hourihane.
If he gets them firing again at Villa Park, sky is the limit.
Right now, it’s a step down in table position but he’d be investing in the future and the future of a sleeping giant could lay at his controlled feet.
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