Aston Villa have been very unfortunate in the last month.

The Birmingham based Premier League club have lost four in their last six games and are sitting just outside the relegation zone, only a point away from the bottom three!

The Villains have also lost three key players to longterm injuries.

Midfield dynamo John McGinn has been up there as one of Villa’s top performers this term but will now miss around three months of action due to fracturing his ankle just before Christmas (Source BBC Sport).

Then days into the New Year, Aston Villa announced that both goalkeeper Tom Heaton and main striker Wesley would miss the rest of the season due to serious knee injuries (Via Sky Sports).

These injuries have provided Villains boss Dean Smith with a problematic headache as he needs to fill these gaps within his side if he and his players can keep Villa in England’s top flight.

Thankfully the manager has the month of January to bring in new recruits to bolster squad numbers for the rest of the current campaign.

I’m guessing Villa will want to stick to the loan market as their future in the league remains in doubt!

Smith has already gone into that particular market to bring in central midfielder Danny Drinkwater. The former Premier Legaue winner has arrived from Chelsea on loan and it’s hoped his vision for a pass can make up for the loss of industrious McGinn.

Villa have also been linked with a vast amount of goalkeepers and forwards.

Former England international shot-stopper Joe Hart (Source Daily Mail) has been linked as has AFC Bournemouth keeper Asmir Begovic.

Joe Hart hasn’t had the best of times since leaving Manchester City. He had two disappointing loan spells at Torino and West Ham United before moving to Burnley, where he failed to keep hold of the number one jersey. His confidence is shot and he probably needs a new longterm home rather than another short loan spell, if he’s going to rediscover his best days.

Birmingham Live have suggested that Cherries boss Eddie Howe will be reluctant to let Begovic leave for relegation rivals. To be fair to Howe, it really wouldn’t make sense for him to strengthen a fellow struggling team.

In the striking department, Christian Benteke has been linked with a return to Villa Park (Source The Sun). I’d urge Villa not to bring the Belgian back. The international marksman can’t get into the Crystal Palace starting line-up, he’s only started four times in the league so far this season. In his fifteen appearances the central striker hasn’t scored. It wasn’t much better last year, when Benteke scored just once for the Eagles!

Olivier Giroud has also been linked with a move to The Midlands but I can’t see the French World Cup winner leaving Chelsea for a relegation battle. It would make much more sense for Giroud to end up at Inter Milan before February hits.

A move for two AC Milan players could be the best solution for Villa, in my opinion.

The Daily Mail have reported that Villa have been offered the chance to sign veteran goalie Pepe Reina and that Dean Smith also wants to discuss bringing Milan striker Krzysztof Piatek.

Reina would be an experienced shot-stopper that would give stability to the backline. The Spaniard has plenty of Premier League experience from his Liverpool days and he has always been a reliable top class performer. At this juncture Villa need a veteran to come in and command his penalty area as they try and stay clear of the drop zone.

Piatek would offer an interesting solution in the number nine role. The Pole was sensational last season, scoring twenty-two goals in thirty-seven Serie A games.

Like so many for the Rossoneri, Krzysztof has found consistency hard to come-by during this campaign. Changing his location and finding himself the focal point in Villa’s frontline could help turn things around for the international hitman.

The Polish forward is a big frontman that won’t be scared to bully opposing defences. Last year he was taking his chances early and was able to finish with either foot or with his head. You’d imagine that he could thrive with the possible ammunition he’d get from Jack Grealish, Danny Drinkwater and Anwar El Ghazi.

A short term loan move with the possibility of making it permanent could suit all parties. Milan have just brought Zlatan Ibrahimovic back to the San Siro, they may want to lose Piatek’s wage. While the player himself could want a move to get more guaranteed first team football between now and the end of this season.

A move for the Polish international may have to happen fast as Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur might also be interested in Krzysztof due to Harry Kane’s recent injury!

Moves for players based abroad could be the best Aston Villa get this month. Krzysztof Piatek and Pepe Reina could be the ideal individuals to come in and help try and save the Villains for relegation!

Posted on January 8th, 2020 by scott
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