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Aston Villa have been linked with Rico Henry since mid-December – but could the Birmingham born left-back actually be on his way to Villa Park?
Words by Regan Foy (@FindFoy)
If social media is anything to go by, which it often isn’t when it comes to Aston Villa – Brentford left-back Rico Henry could be on his way to Villa Park in the coming days or weeks.
With only one senior left-back at the club in the form of Neil Taylor, and a make-shift replacement for him in Alan Hutton, Aston Villa have been linked with a number of left-backs such as Christian Fuchs within this transfer window.
But, according to a few ‘in the know’ accounts, (we know, we know), on Twitter, former Walsall and current Brentford player Rico Henry is the latest player that could be making his way to Bodymoor Heath for a medical.
That, and the Birmingham-born defender has recently followed Aston Villa youngsters Corey Blackett-Taylor and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy on social media platform Instagram today. Interesting, either he’s just met them or he’s a huge fan of double-barrelled surnames.
Of all the links so far this window, the potential acquisition of Rico Henry does make sense. A product of the Walsall youth academy, Dean Smith has managed the 21-year-old at both Walsall and Brentford.
It’s not the first time Henry has been linked in the past month or so either, with the Express & Star reporting that his arrival could happen in January all the way back in mid-December.
Rico Henry has struggled with injuries since he arrived at Griffin Park under Dean Smith in 2016, and has only managed eight appearances this season – seven in the league and one in the FA cup.
He’s another player that Dean Smith has experience with, another youngster who’s been capped internationally at a youth level, and another player with something to prove.
Should he be able to remain fit, he’ll provide much needed competition on the left-hand side – and shouldn’t cost too much due to his injury issues in the past.
