OPINION
With Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce lacking in the centre back department – no thanks to his own decisions to send Tommy Elphick out on loan without a replacement this summer – there has to be a focus on bringing in some reinforcements to the heart of the defence come January.
The Villans have already seen what can happen when Bruce’s experiment of playing Mile Jedinak at the back goes wrong, with the thrashing at the hands of Sheffield United first hand evidence.
However, how do Villa find a quality addition who is going to make a real difference to their side?
Well, it seems as though the transfer team are keen at getting the groundwork done early, with Austrian news outlet Laola1 claiming that the Villans are set to be one of the clubs sending scouts to Thursday’s international clash between Sweden and Austria – and there is one man they should be keeping a close eye on.
The Swedes are set to be led out by Leeds United defender Pontus Jansson as the 27-year-old is handed the captain’s armband, and his vast experience for club and country makes him the ideal target for January.
Standing at 6’3″ (source: Transfermarkt), the 17 cap centre back might be at Villa’s top six rivals – with the Whites currently topping the Championship – but that should only incentivise Bruce’s men to make them an offer they cannot refuse.
He would be a game changing talent at Villa Park, bringing a fight and power that no one else at the club currently offers, and with scouts set to be in place for his country’s clash, they would be daft to miss out on the chance of scouting his performance.
Villa need a centre back, and Jansson could prove it on Thursday.