Back in 2012, Aston Villa moved to bring little-known Belgian striker Christian Benteke to English shores.
The powerful frontman had netted 20 goals in 51 games for KRC Genk before arriving at Villa Park, making his name in Belgian football before absolutely crushing the Premier League.
Surely, not many people knew what to expect from Benteke in his first season at the club, although they would’ve been pleasantly surprised at what they witnessed in his debut campaign.
The Kinshasa-born attacker scored 19 Premier League goals in his first season at Aston Villa, in just 34 league appearances – across all competitions that term, he scored 23 goals and grabbed seven assists for the Villans.
The Paul Lambert signing had truly taken England’s top-flight by the scruff of the neck, and aside from his brilliance, the finances of the deal made Benteke’s efforts all the more sweet.
He cost Villa just £7m, scoring a total of 49 goals in 101 games before Liverpool spent £32.5m on him.
That means Benteke cost the Midlands-based side just £142.9k per goal, at a rate of a strike roughly once every two games – he also landed Villa a hefty profit of £25.5m.
Using the Bank of England’s inflation calculator, that £7m sum would be worth £8,328,216.37 in today’s money, further reinforcing the fact that this was a timeless bargain from Lambert and Aston Villa.
At Villa Park, the Belgium international helped the club reach an FA Cup final, while also winning the Premier League Player of the Month award in April 2015.
Villa got plenty back from their £7m investment, which eventually looked like a snip given the vast amount of goals the striker scored for them, and the excellent profit the club received from his eventual sale.
Surely, given the fact that he was just 21 when he arrived, coupled with his almost immediate success in a claret and blue shirt, the shrewd capture of Benteke has to be one of Villa’s savviest Premier League moves.
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