Why former Portsmouth target and Preston loanee Cameron Archer has Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard snapping at reporters

With 10 goals in nine competitive games for Aston Villa over the first half of the season, the youngster was seen as the perfect fit for the new-look attacking line-up that Danny Cowley was dreaming of.

After becoming a near regular at Villa youth games, the Blues boss was suitably impressed with what he saw and wanted Archer to lead his forward line.

The only probably being, Cowley wasn’t alone in his admiration.

Championship sides and other League One clubs were all of a sudden forming a queue, with Preston eventually snapping up the 20-year-old on loan in the transfer window.

Archer subsequently justified that huge amount of interest in him by scoring seven goals in 20 appearances for Ryan Lowe’s side.

Meanwhile, Tyler Walker – whom the Blues turned to for goals last January – notched just one in 15 outings while on loan from Coventry.

With such valuable experience behind him, this term was expected to see Archer reach even greater heights.

Not so, it appears, with Villa boss Steven Gerrard seemingly reluctant to blood the England Under-21 international despite his side’s goalscoring problems.

After reportedly turning down further loan interest in the summer, Archer has played just 19 minutes of first-team football this season – with those minutes divided into three substitute appearances.

That lack of game time is unlikely to see him suddenly handed a start for Villa’s under-21s when they travel to Fratton Park tonight to take on Pompey in the Papa John’s Trophy – a competition that saw the striker bag six goals in three games last term.

However, any mention of his name seems to have the under-pressure Gerrard ready to bite back – as a reporter at Birmingham Live found out on Sunday.

After asking why Archer wasn’t used again in the goalless draw with Leeds – a game which saw Jessie Marsch’s side play 42 minutes with 10 men following Luis Sinisterra’s red card – the Villa reporter discovered that the former Liverpool and England midfielder was not in the mood for such a query.

Indeed, he was even accused of being a mate of his family, such was his level of interest.

Gerrard responded: ‘He's only done one full session. Is he chomping at the bit? 100 per cent.

‘You're a fan of Cameron, you, aren't ya? Or are you a mate of the family?

‘Something's going on because you've asked me 25 questions this year and I reckon 19 have been on Cam Archer. You're a fan aren't ya?’

It will be interesting to see where Archer’s next appearance will be, with Villa away to the Premier League’s bottom side, Nottingham Forest, on Monday night.

No doubt, Cowley remains a huge admirer and would probably love to see the England youngster line up against his youthful side tonight.

But will it lead to another inquiry for Archer’s services in January? Probably not.

Pompey are hardly lacking in the forward department this season, with Colby Bishop, Spurs loanee Dane Scarlett and Joe Pigott all coming up with the goods.

Meanwhile, it could even be said that Scarlett’s presence means they’ve got one better already on their books.