Recently Aston Villa striker Keinan Davis has been linked with a move to Derby. Who exactly is the Villa front man and what can Derby fans expect from him if he were to sign? We spoke with Luke Hatfield, Digital Sports Journalist for the Express and Star and Shropshire Star to find out. He covers all the teams in the West Midland and is an Aston Villa supporter. You can follow Luke on Twitter here!
Does the Keinan Davis to Derby rumors have legs? Or is it just paper talk?
I wouldn't be surprised if the rumours are legitimate, as Davis is definitely a player in need of time on the pitch. The only hitch that I can really see in it though is Villa's current striker situation.
Villa have obviously splashed the cash on Ollie Watkins, who is certain to be the starting option up-front when fit. Outside of that though, things aren't so solid - Davis was named on the bench and came on alongside Watkins in Villa's win over Sheffield United in their top flight opener this week.
Villa did just bring in Bertrand Traore, who can potentially play as a striker, but he's seen more as a winger. Meanwhile, former club-record signing Wesley remains injured. Outside of that, there's only Mbwana Samatta - but he didn't make the squad against the Blades and looks more likely to leave.
Having just signed a new deal at the club, maybe Smith will see Davis as someone who's still a key member of the squad. But should Villa bring in another striker there would definitely be legs in the idea of Davis heading out on-loan somewhere.
What type of striker is Keinan Davis?
He's a striker that plays beyond his years in terms of his ability to hold up play, bully defenders and link up with his teammates, that's for sure.
Davis is a brilliant player to bring on if you want to play a long ball forward and then have runners coming off your striker to play in - such is his ability in playing with his back to goal.
However, he's not a prolific goal scorer. Don't expect Davis to come in and start hitting the back of the net week in, week out. He's shown glimpses of being a striker who can chip in with a decent number of goals on occasion, but ultimately his stats tell the real story.
Last season he managed just one goal in 23 appearances for Villa's first-team, make of that what you will.
What are his strength's and weaknesses?
His obvious strengths are his ability to hold up the ball, link up with teammates and bully opposing defenders. He's truly brilliant at that side of the game, I'd argue he's better than many much more experienced strikers at it.
In terms of his big weakness, which is not ideal for a striker, is his ability to score goals. As I said before, his goalscoring exploits are pretty poor. Admittedly, he hasn't been given a chance from the off too often, and was playing in a team that only narrowly survived last season in the PL - but he needs to find a vein of form in front of goal. Maybe a loan move could help him do that.
Is he highly rated at Aston Villa? Why?
He is highly rated, and that's been shown in the new deal handed to him this week.
The fans have really taken to him too because he's a real hard worker, he's the type of striker you imagine would run through a brick wall to help the side get three points. He's a proper bruiser, so isn't the type to shirk a challenge or roll around either, which has also earned him plenty of plaudits from supporters.
It's clear than Dean Smith rates him too, otherwise he's favour the likes of Samatta ahead of him in the squad this season.
He played a lot of games in the second part of last season for Aston Villa. Was this down to necessity or was he ready for the step up?
It was a bit of a mixture, to be honest.
I don't think Villa envisaged Keinan seeing as many minutes on the pitch as he did last year, but when Wesley went down with an ACL injury and Jonathan Kodjia left the club - he was one of the only serious options for Smith and his coaching team.
Mbwana Samatta was signed in January, but failed to really provide the punch fans and the coaching team really wanted.
He might not have been completely ready to become a Premier League starter, but he certainly gave it his all - he showed enough to earn himself that new deal too.
He struggled for goals in the Premier League last season. How do you think he would cope with a move back to the Championship?
I think a loan move to the Championship would be ideal for his development, it's just a matter of Villa being comfortable enough to allow that to happen.
I think he'd manage fine given the team that signs him understands his strengths and weaknesses.
If Derby were to sign him expecting him to bang in 25 goals, I don't think it would be beneficial for anyone really. But if they go for him expecting him to maybe chip in with 5-10 goals and provide solid link-up play to create chances for others it could work well.
What will it take for him to fulfill his potential?
Tough question, as you never really know whether a player is truly capable of meeting expectations around their potential.
What it will take though is time on the pitch and trust from a coaching team.
Playing up-front is such a confidence position at times, and Davis would appreciate being part of a team where those alongside him are fully behind him and his abilities.
If he can find that somewhere and come back to Villa a better player, he could certainly start fulfilling the potential he has.
If he signs, what could Derby fans expect from him?
Expect to see hard-working striker who won't disappoint fans with his application on the pitch.
He'll never stop running, and he'll cause all kinds of problems for defenders up and down the league - just make sure not to expect him to be scoring goals left, right and centre.
Do you think he could be a success at Derby?
Should he go, I'd back him to do a great job for Derby.
He'll be part of a side I imagine will be challenging at the right end of the table, and whilst he might not be challenging to be the top scorer in the Championship - i'd fully expect him to do well alongside some of the players and coaching staff at Pride Park.