Aston Villa manager Dean Smith is desperate to bring in at least two new signings to the club which could trigger the departure of at least two existing first team players, according to the Express and Star.
The newspaper claim on their website that the Villans’ boss wants a new left back and a new midfielder to bolster his side before this week’s deadline, with goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic and Kortney Hause the only new pair at Villa Park this month.
It is stated that any incoming deals could see current Villa players leave, with exits for striker Scott Hogan and midfielder Birkir Bjarnason to be on the cards.
Opinion
With the club currently floundering in mid-table after hopes of a top six push, changes are an absolute must if they are to have any chance of coming close to their aspirations at the end of the season. Bjarnason and Hogan are just two of the current squad who lack either the talent or desire to push the club forward and it should come as no surprise to anyone who has any knowledge of the Villans that they are on the chopping block. There could well be a handful of names to join them but the fact of the matter is that Smith already has limited options and to offload a whole host of average talent would leave him woefully under-strength for the rest of the season. What has to happen now is Villa make a push for the top six and regardless of what happens, be that a disappointing failure or a surprise shot at promotion, wholesale changes have to be made over the summer. If the same players who are dragging the club down stay, then there will never be any progress.