Aston Villa are evolving once again this summer.

With Morgan Rogers' record-breaking sale to Chelsea having gone through, Unai Emery has lost one of his key attacking cogs, but the Spaniard is nothing if not adaptable.

Alejandro Garnacho will sign for the Villa, and more is in the works. At least Ollie Watkins is still leading the line; the Three Lions striker will continue to thrive as the focal frontman next year.

It's got us thinking: Villa's attacking set-up has come a long way over the years, with the Midlands club going through the paces at number nine since the days of Christian Benteke.

Ranking Aston Villa's best strikers since Benteke

Benteke had his faults, but the Belgian powerhouse was a clinical figure for Aston Villa at a turbulent time for the club. He scored 49 goals from 101 appearances after joining from Genk for £7m in 2012. He left after three seasons, joining Liverpool for £32.5m.

His departure precipitated a staggering decline that saw the Villans relegated to the Championship in an all-time disaster of the season. They have since rebuilt themselves, utilising the likes of Jonathan Kodija to stabilise in the second tier before reaping the prolific rewards provided by Tammy Abraham, then a loanee, now a permanent feature years later.

Abraham is one of the stars of the modern era, instrumental in the big picture of Aston Villa's rise. His impact cannot be said to match that of Benteke, though, who probably sits behind only Watkins in the charts.

Jhon Duran's impact at the outfit was short, but oh-so sweet. What a mercurial and mystifying maverick he was. Already a career nomad at 22, Duran's incredible attacking edge while with Villa cannot be questioned, and he left in January 2025 for a £71m fee.

Let's not forget Gabby Agbonlahor, of course. The one-club man is a cult hero in the Midlands, but his richest days at Villa Park came before Benteke burst onto the scene.

Watkins' brilliance has been a driving force in Aston Villa's rise and rise under Emery, but the 30-year-old ebbed and flowed last season, and Aston Villa need a new centre-forward to lead them to further riches.

Aston Villa confident they will agree deal to sign new Benteke

Aston Villa, Europa League holders and Champions League competitors, are currently weakened in the final third. Rogers' sale will do that, but Emery has the chance to make a series of further changes after signing Garnacho.

According to TEAMtalk, one of those signings could arrive in the form of Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson, who has returned to England after a year abroad with Bayern Munich. The German giants decided against a permanent buy following his stint on loan.

Jackson, 25, is open to the move to Villa Park, and Aston Villa are understood to be advancing in positive talks to sign the Senegal international in a record-breaking £65m deal. Emery and co are 'confident' that they will be able to agree personal terms with the player.

With negotiations reaching the 'decisive phase', Emery will want to act swiftly to sign a dynamic striker whose pace and potency and experience in the Premier League could secure the perfect new dimension at the club.

During the 2024/25 Premier League season, Jackson scored nine goals and supplied three assists before Christmas. He added one strike to his collection thereafter. Make of that what you will, but it certainly illustrates an ability to sustain prolific bursts of form.

Perhaps a role of greater importance at Aston Villa could be the turning point Jackson needs in England, finally establishing him as one of the division's top strikers.

To have scored 30 goals and supplied 12 assists across 81 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions is hardly bad going, but there's no question that the Senegalese striker would need to brush up his shooting, should he want to eclipse Benteke's impact at Villa Park and start knocking on Watkins' door.

After all, Jackson missed 43 big chances across his two seasons in the English top flight. He sure knows how to fashion a chance for himself, but the actual act of converting leaves a lot to be desired.

Benteke: a striker whose ability to score goals with consistency cannot be questioned. His strike rate at Aston Villa was superb. And yet, he lacked poise and control in the final third at times, something that Jackson also continues to work on right now.

But Emery spies an opportunity in this physical and athletic attacker. He might just be the perfect tactician to unlock the latent qualities within Jackson, and take him beyond Benteke and the like, up and over Watkins as the new talisman to fire this club to more success in the coming years.