Aston Villa to save 'millions' as talks advance for '£150,000' deal - Keith Wyness
Aston Villa's move to bring in Burnley's Pal Fjelde as their new set-piece coach could prove to be a masterstroke.
That is according to former Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that his former club may be about to see a significant benefit from just a small outlay with Fjelde.
The second city outfit are now in talks with Burnley over a move for their dead-ball specialist, having recently lost Austin MacPhee to Chelsea.
Wyness believes that Fjelde is only likely to cost Villa around £150,000 in terms of a yearly wage, but may bring sizeable benefits to their season.
Fjelde joined Burnley last summer, and also currently works as part of the Norwegian national team setup.
His move to Villa Park now appears to be imminent, and Wyness believes that it could prove to be a cost-effective move for the club.
Keith Wyness compares Pal Fjelde to striker
Villa's former chief Wyness - who served as CEO at Villa Park between 2016 and 2018 and now runs a consultancy business advising elite clubs - believes that Fjelde could have an equivalent impact to the addition of a new striker.
The Scottish businessman noted that if the Villans could add an extra 10 goals to their tally in 2026-27 due to Fjelde's expertise, then it would likely match the output of any potential striker.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained how Villa could save a significant amount of money through Fjelde in an indirect way.
"What I would say is that when I looked at this, I think he (Fjelde) is going to be getting in the region of £100,000 to £150,000 maybe in terms of a salary," he said.
"Now, if you look at that in terms of a marginal gain that a set piece coach can bring to the team, Austin MacPhee was a great example. Could you say that he brought in 10 goals last season? I think quite possibly you could.
"How much would a 10-goal-a-season striker cost you? So you've got to look at the marginal gain for a set-piece coach, and it's probably one of the most cost-effective things you can get, provided they're good and they actually add value.
"I find it fascinating that they're probably underpricing themselves in that view and certainly, from a marginal gain point of view, why wouldn't you have somebody come in at that sort of level who could contribute even five, six to ten goals a season?
"You'd take it every time because it would cost you a few million to get a striker of that level. So that's an interesting way to look at it from my point of view."
Unai Emery's Aaron Wan-Bissaka plan revealed
Football Insider revealed on Saturday that Villa are closing in on a move to sign West Ham right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka in a deal worth around £20million.
Sources have indicated that Unai Emery and Co. see the defender as a player who could provide invaluable versatility to their group for this season.
Villa are understood to view Wan-Bissaka as a player who could operate in a centre-back role, or even at the base of the midfield.
Villa are approaching the final stages of the deal now, with Wan-Bissaka increasingly likely to make the switch imminently.