Aston Villa had a horrendous campaign in the top tier last term, which eventually saw them being relegated. The once-upon-a-time Premier League giants have sadly found it hard to find their feet post-demotion as well. Villa didn’t have a good start under the tutelage of Roberto Di Matteo in the ongoing season of the Sky Bet Championship but have resurrected themselves by stabilising and growing under the reign of Steve Bruce in the Championship.
Without any doubt, Bruce has steadied the ship which appeared to be on the verge of sinking and has converted his side into a bunch of performing assets. Though the Villans are still far off from the playoff spots, the former Hull City manager is leaving no stone unturned in the ongoing transfer window to make a final surge.
Despite having revamped the outfit by signing sensational stars in the shape of Henri Lansbury, Conor Hourihane, Birkir Bjarnason, James Bree and Sam Johnstone already in this window, he isn’t done yet.
Reports have been circling on Swansea City’s Neil Taylor being pursued to fill the last piece of the puzzle. Bruce wants to tighten the screws at the back and to cultivate a healthy competition in the left-back slot with Jordan Amavi already in their ranks.
Not to mention, Taylor has had a superb Euro 2016 but has found opportunities pretty hard to come by. To further dent his chances of starting for the Swans, Martin Olsson has been brought to the Liberty Stadium from Norwich City which will obviously put him further below in the pecking order.
The Welsh international has accumulated more than 150 league appearances for Swansea City ever since making a move from Wrexham in 2010. His omission from the starting line-up under Francesco Guidolin, as well as Paul Clement, left many with scratching their heads.
So far this campaign, the 27-year-old has made 11 appearances wherein he’s won 18 tackles, 26 interceptions, 30 clearances and 2 blocks apart from creating 2 goal scoring chances as well.
Aston Villa could strike gold if they can table and eventually agree on a deal for this marauding forward who can really come to their rescue. He has the expertise at the top level and knows how to get the job done without creating a fuss at the back. The Villans have some crucial fixtures awaiting and signing a class footballer like Taylor alongside the other they have roped it might give them an outside chance to end up in the top six spots.
Statistics Credits: Squawka.
