Days after Aston Villa sprung a surprise with their deadline-day swoop for little-known Belgian hitman Christian Benteke, questions have been asked among those hoping to discover exactly who he is, led by fans, journalists, and Benteke himself.
"Christian Benteke? Never heard of him," said 21-year-old Christian Benteke, from Belgium. "Seven million pounds is a lot of money for someone who is essentially an unknown quantity. I hope Paul Lambert knows what he's doing, because from the outside looking in, this has the feel of a panic buy."
Benteke is likely to go straight into Lambert's squad for this weekend's clash with Swansea, and after a deflating start to the new season, the Villa Park faithful are excited about seeing their new signing in action.
"Most people don't really follow the Belgian league, and I guess I'm no exception," Benteke told FourFourTwo.com. "What will I bring to the side? Am I ready for the first team? Can I play alongside Darren Bent? Your guess is as good as mine. I'm looking forward to showing everyone what I can do, especially myself."
In common with the majority of football fans, Benteke has had to research himself on Wikipedia.
"So apparently I started at Standard Liege, moved to Genk after a couple of years, then back to Liege, then back to Genk. You have to wonder what the story is there. Oh, and I've been played five times for Belgium. Hmm. If I was really ready for the Premier League, you'd think it would be more, wouldn't you?"
Ultimately, however, Benteke is confident that he will prove a success in the Midlands.
"I've got a Villa shirt printed with 'Benteke' written across the back, and I'll be following my progress with interest," he said. "No-one's keener than me for me to score some goals, build a reputation, and eventually start referring to myself in the third person."
‘After Manchester City’s recent form, maybe they’re the underdogs against Manchester United!’ Former Red Devils defender on this weekend’s derby
‘Arteta, Alonso, Emery, me… none of us were physical players – we needed the understanding of the game. That probably helped us move into management’: Premier League boss reveals reasons for natural career progression
