It is well known that Aston Villa are in the market to sign English goalkeeper Jack Butland. Now their path to secure the Stoke City man has further smoothened out as the Potters have gone on to sign Adam Davies from Barnsley. Davies was integral in getting Barnsley up to the Championship, and he was even named in League One’s team of the season in the last campaign.
This signing by the Potters is being termed as a massive boost for Aston Villa by the Birmingham Mail. It clearly indicates that the club is preparing for life without Butland and the Villans should be in the box seat to secure the signing of Butland in the summer.
Reports from the Mirror just a few days back emerged that Aston Villa have managed to bring down the price for the goalkeeper from £27m to £23m. It remains to be seen now whether Dean Smith would continue to negotiate further or put in a bid and bring the England international back to the Premier League.
Does Aston Villa need a goalkeeper?
Jed Steer’s career at Villa Park was seemingly in doldrums, but he was able to revive himself in the second half of the campaign with some great showings in goal. However, it seems to us that Dean Smith is keen on making additions in the goalkeeping department and he probably sees Butland as an upgrade over Steer. It might be slightly harsh on Steer as he was outstanding last season. But Villa might think that they need a Premier league pedigree player to survive in the English top flight.
Orjan Nyland and Lovre Kalinic are other options which the club has, but they don’t seem good enough to challenge for a place in the top division.
Will Butland be an upgrade over Steer?
Many would like to think so as Butland was one of the stand out players for Stoke even last season when they struggled in the Championship. The 26-year-old is only behind Jordan Pickford in the England setup, and he was also part of the squad for the FIFA 2018 World Cup. Therefore in terms of credibility and reputation, Butland seems to be an upgrade.
However, we feel that the real question here is whether Butland is an upgrade worth paying over £20m. We think it would be a decent move for Villa to sign Butland as he is proven at the top level and has the experience of playing in the Premier League.
However, if the club feels that they have other positions to fix and are a bit short on cash, then they might want to give Butland signing a miss as Steer looks like a reliable option as well.
