The forward signed a lucrative deal from KRC Genk to the Birmingham-based club but is yet to make his first appearance
Aston Villa will have a lot of new fans from Tanzania, Mbwana Samatta has said.
The Premier League side completed the signing of the former KRC Genk striker earlier this month and Samatta believes the move will endear the club to the majority of Tanzanian football fans.
The former Simba SC and Tout Puissant Mazembe forward further revealed it had been his dream to play in the Premier League and that he greatly adored former Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Agbonlahor made 341 appearances for Aston Villa and scored 75 goals between 2005 and 2018.
“As a player, it was always my dream to play here. Since I was a kid, I used to like watching Premier League games and one of the teams I used to watch was Aston Villa,” Samatta told Sky Sports.
“I know many things about this club, the players that used to play here. I used to watch Gabriel Agbonlahor when he was here. It’s a massive club for me. For me, it means a lot, we have never had one player in the Premier League.
“In Tanzania the people who love football, they always watch the Premier League there. Now they will be watching one of their own playing for Aston Villa. The club will have a lot of fans from Tanzania.”
Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s head coach Dean Smith revealed Samatta, the first-ever Tanzanian to sign for an English side, is expected to feature against Leicester City in a Carabao Cup second leg semi-final match at Villa Park on Tuesday.
The first leg clash ended in a 1-1 draw.
“Obviously we have long term injury cases but Keinan Davis returned and is available for selection, [Mbwana] Samatta has trained for a week or so and is available as well,” Smith told reporters in a pre-match interview on Monday.
“It is good to pick a team from a strong squad.”
The Tanzania captain signed a four-and-a-half-year contract after scoring 43 goals in 98 appearances for Genk.
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