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Rumours of a bid for Domagoj Vida will have intensified post-Burnley, but a centre-back isn’t the most pressing of targets.
Words: Regan Foy | @findfoy
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In the run up to the new year, Aston Villa have reportedly made a €6,000,000 bid for World Cup finalist Domagoj Vida, the Croatian International currently plying his trade in Turkey with Besiktas.
At 30-years-old, Vida would be one of the most experienced defenders at the club and offers a rounded defensive option and a strong aerial threat when attacking. He is tough to dribble past, and a strong, or adept, tackler with a relatively successful success rate of nearly 90%.
The new system used in Aston Villa’s win today, which saw a three-at-the-back consisting of Kortney Hause, Ezri Konsa and the returning Tyrone Mings. Post-game, Dean Smith said that the squad had worked for the past couple of days on the new system and it seems that fans should expect to see it more moving forward.
This would mean that the rumoured bid for Vida makes more sense than it would have previously, offering more choice for Dean Smith moving forwards, with Vida making up a possible six choices to play in the back-three.
But with injuries to Tom Heaton and Wesley in the Burnley game, the recruitment whiteboard might find itself with a few more scribbles on it as we move into the Winter Transfer Window.
There was a warranted cry for a forward to join in the window, and it would have been likely to come in the latter stages, but it may have to come sooner rather than later with a worrying tackle on Wesley leaving the forward requiring a stretcher to aid him off the pitch.
With Jonathan Kodjia, who at times looked lackadaisical in his time on the pitch this afternoon, the only fully fit striker available – but Keinan Davis returning shortly, it’s not so much a requirement anymore. It’s a necessity that Aston Villa sign a forward as soon as possible if Wesley’s injury outlook doesn’t look great.
McGinn looks like he’s out for a number of months too, there’s more of a need to move sharply and smartly in the window now – but the window is notoriously hard to succeed in.
If Aston Villa’s recruitment team can make the right choices, like they did last January, then we could be seeing some smart moves pay off come the end of the month – but it’s a waiting game until then.
