OPINION
Aston Villa have a major issue at the back right now and their defensive woes are threatening to put any chance of a top six finish this season under threat.
Be it injuries, a lack of quality or simply poor luck, the Villans have not had what has been needed to stop the opposition and with 43 goals conceded – significantly more than most of those also chasing a play off spot in the Championship – they have got a real problem to address.
With the January transfer window upon Dean Smith and the rest of the managers in the second tier, he needs to find a way to fix the problem but with a limited budget at Villa Park, that is certainly easier said than done – especially when there is more than just one area that needs plugging at the back.
Really Smith could do with a new full back as well as a new centre back and anyone who has any meaningful experience of the division is not going to come cheap – so what about someone who can kill two birds with one stone and is likely to be let go from his current side for a nominal fee?
Step forward Dominic Iorfa, a forgotten man at midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.
The 23-year-old is most recognised as a right sided full back – a position where Villa already have Ahmed Elmohamady, Alan Hutton and James Bree – but is also able to fill in as a centre back and further forward as a midfielder.
He might be young but Iorfa is a man with plenty of experience already under his belt, with 107 Championship appearances – game time which has done him no good in trying to force his way into the first team set up at Molineux this season.
Without a single senior appearance in any competition, Iorfa has been exiled by Nuno Espirito Santo and as such needs to try and find an exit route this month if he wants to forge a meaningful career as a footballer.
His versatility ticks a lot of boxes for Villa and his likely price tag will put him firmly within their means to sign him, helping end the problems that Smith and his men are facing this season and put their promotion campaign back on track.