OPINION
Aston Villa’s January has been a mixed one in terms of both results and their transfer business and after Saturday’s draw against Hull City Dean Smith will know he needs improvements in both to push for a top six finish.
The Villans had to come back from behind to snatch a point from the Tigers, Nigel Adkins’ side sneaking an early 2-0 lead before James Chester and Tammy Abraham found the back of the net.
One of the big issues faced by Villa on Saturday was their midfield, the trio of John McGinn, Conor Hourihane and Birkir Bjarnason struggling to impose themselves on the visitors to the midlands.
It seems as though Smith is looking to fix that issue with a new signing at Villa Park, the Mirror claiming on their live transfer blog (19/01, 19:11) that the club are close to sealing a loan move for Chelsea’s Charlie Colkett, a personal call from John Terry said to be the clincher as they battled with Ostersunds for his capture.
The 22-year-old does not look like anything special on paper but as a defensive midfielder he should bring a little bit more bite to middle of the pitch with Bjarnason the current Villa option who is surely facing a bleak future as a result.
The 30-year-old has a year-and-a-half left on his current contract at the club and while he might have been playing on Saturday he is by no means a guaranteed starter with just 14 appearances in the Championship due to injury and form.
Colkett might be an underwhelming arrival but Bjarnason has been an underwhelming figure in the side this season and as such really should be under serious pressure from any new arrivals.