According to the latest reports from Birmingham Live, Aston Villa have made Tyrone Mings their top transfer priority for the summer after he played a crucial role in their promotion run. Mings joined the Villans in January from Bournemouth, and since then, he was the mainstay at the back for his side.
Villa are expected to lodge an official bid of around £15m, and it would be interesting to see what Bournemouth’s response would be here. The Cherries struggled to keep it tight at the back, and Eddie Howe might want to give Mings a chance to prove himself at the Vitality Stadium.
It is yet not clear whether Bournemouth would agree to a deal or whether they would fight to keep hold of him. With Villa moving to the Premier League and winning the financial windfall after the playoff win, they certainly have increased their chances of signing him permanently.
The Cherries signed the defender for £8m in 2015, and his performance in the Championship wouldn’t have gone unnoticed. The English defender struggled with injuries during his stay at Bournemouth and never really managed to establish himself at the club. Now it seems that he has managed to put the injury troubles behind him as he was a regular at the back for Villa.
What Mings brings to the table?
The 26-year-old started as a left back, but he has settled in well in the centre back position. He is strong and robust in his challenges and can cope up with targetman kind of strikers who often rely on their physical strength to outmuscle the defenders.
The fact that Mings is also suited to play at left back means that he is good on the ball and he can pass his way out from the back and carry it forward when required. The Englishman also reads the game well, and one would term him as a complete package as a centre back.
A no brainer for £15m?
It’s been a shame that he wasn’t able to establish himself at Bournemouth due to injuries. However, now the defender has found his footing at Villa Park, and we feel that even Mings might prefer to move to Aston Villa after the kind of season they had. It is no surprise that Smith has made him his transfer priority as the club lacks depth in the centre back position as they had to use defensive midfielder Mile Jedinak as a centre back on various occasions last season.
