OPINION
Dean Smith could play a blinder if he was to see that Aston Villa re-sign left-back Enda Stevens from Sheffield United in the January transfer window.
The Villains are in desperate need of a new left-back with Neil Taylor the only natural player in that position in Smith’s newly-acquired squad, so going in for Stevens, 28, makes a lot of sense.
Stevens did not do a lot during his previous spell at Villa Park as he earned just nine appearances across all competitions for the club between 2012 and 2015. During that time he was also sent out on loan four times with Notts County, Northampton and Doncaster twice taking him on temporary deals.
Since leaving the West Midlands, Stevens has transformed himself into a quality attack-minded left-back and after two seasons with Portsmouth, Sheffield United snapped him up and Chris Wilder has overseen the 28-year-old turn from Villa flop into Republic of Ireland international.
Stevens has also been key in the Blades’ rise to the top of the Championship table with the left-back starting all but one of the Yorkshire club’s league games this season.
In fact, with Stevens on the left-flank, Sheffield United have scored in all but two of his 11 Championship outings, with him supplying three assists in the process.
It is clear that Smith needs to sign a new left-back in January with Taylor so bad that Steve Bruce resorted to playing right-back Allan Hutton in his position for the early stages of this season.
Stevens would not only be a massive upgrade on Taylor but he would also fill a void that needs to be filled as soon as possible.