Lambert: Aston Villa were close to having both Benteke and Lukaku in the team

Romelu Lukaku

Paul Lambert has this morning revealed to Sky Sports that he tried to sign Romelu Lukaku forAston Villa last season. The Villa boss missed out on the striker for financial reasons, and Lukaku eventually headed to West Brom on loan. Had he signed the striker, then Lambert would have created what would surely have ranked as the most physically imposing forward line of recent years in the Premier League, with Lukaku alongside  his Belgian compatriot Christian Benteke.

“I remember when I first came in here I spoke to Chelsea about Lukaku before we saw Christian [Benteke],” said Lambert.

“I knew about him and this club needed somebody to be that type of player.”

Having failed with a bid for Lukaku, Lambert got “that type of player” in the form of Christian Beneteke, but admits that he would have liked to have paired the Belgian duo together.

“I would have tried to get Christian as well, probably”, continued the Scot. ” What would they have been like together? You really don’t know, but they’re two powerful lads.”

“Obviously we couldn’t afford that at that time and Christian came in. The rest is history, as they say. They’re totally different players but the two of them are a threat.”

Both strikers were on fire last season, and the prospect of facing them as a pair would have been a daunting prospect for Premier League defenders. Lukaku scored 17 goals for West Brom, whilst Benteke scored 19 for Villa. The two men have carried their form into this season, with four goals in six games for both of them.

Lambert will come face to face with Lukaku tomorrow, as Villa host the Belgian’s temporary employersEverton. Follow the live match stats from 3pm tomorrow in our match centre on Squawka.com.

Bothh Lukaku and Benteke scored four headed goals last season – behind only Michu (6) and Fellaini (5)