Another day, another new Frenchman: Sherwood looks to raid Ligue 1 again

Tim Sherwood just can't get enough of the Ligue 1. Jordan Amavi, Idrissa Gueye, Jordan Ayew, and now, he is reported to be in the bidding for Stade Rennais forward Paul-Georges Ntep. Ntep is a quick winger with considerable skill, and despite the fact that wing appears to be one of the positions where Villa is not noticeably weak thanks to the likes of Carles Gil, Scott Sinclair, Jack Grealish, Charles N'Zogbia, and now Callum Robinson, Sherwood appears key on adding the young Frenchman. Ntep would mark the fourth Ligue 1 player to be welcomed into Sherwood's ranks, and clear effort by Villa to acquire Ligue 1 stars is surely not a coincidence.

Reports state that Stade Rennais is seeking £10 million for Ntep, but with the likes of Gueye, Amavi, and Ayew all commanding similar price tags, it is clear that Sherwood is not afraid of splashing the cash on a young player. Ntep has plenty of room to grow, and regardless of the wing not being a position of desperate need for Villla, he has the potential to grow into a world class player, and will retain much of his resale value even if he does not set the Premier League on fire in his first year - a trend that all of Sherwood's summer signings have followed.

An interesting possibility for Ntep is the idea that he may follow a Yannick Bolasie type mold - a prolific and pacey winger known for skills and speed enters the Premier League but is criticized for lacking an end product. Bolasie was finally able to put all the elements of his game together, and by the end of last season, was scoring and assisting for fun, often times from a central position. Whether Ntep would be able to follow such a rapid progression remains to be seen, but entertaining the idea is exciting for any Villa fan.

What do you think of Ntep and his price tag? Let us know!