OPINION
Aston Villa should blow Midlands rivals Wolves out of the water to sign exit-bound Brenford defender Yoann Barbet after it was reported that the clubs are interested in signing the Frenchman.
According to Turkish news outlet AsistAnaliz, Bestikas are also in pursuit of the 26-year-old, who will be available for free this summer after Brentford confirmed that he is leaving Griffin Park when his contract expires at the end of this month.
It is understood that Villa and Wolves’ hunt to sign Barbet is an issue for Bestikas, which suggests that the two Premier League clubs have the upperhand when it comes to striking a deal with the former Bordeaux defender.
Barbet was in great form for Brentford last season up until the final few weeks of the season when he was left out of the squad due to his contract expiring, but the French powerhouse played some of his best football under Dean Smith, who of course is now the manager at Villa Park.
Aston Villa need to strengthen their defence this summer after loan spells ended for Axel Tuanzebe, Kortney Hause and Tyrone Mings.
While it seems likely that Smith will be able to re-sign one or two of them before next season kicks off, it would not hurt to add some extra strength in depth to the backline and Barbet, who is someone Smith is familiar with, would be a great addition on a free transfer.
Barbet made 37 appearances across all competitions for Brentford last season, playing as both a centre-back and a left-back.
According to stats by WhoScored, he averaged 1.4 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 2.5 clearances per match in the Championship.
In comparison, Tuanzebe made 1.1 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 3.9 clearances on average in his league appearances for Villa. It is worth nothing that Tuanzebe played mainly as a centre-back whereas Barbet’s appearances at centre-back and left-back were fairly even.
Barbet, on a free transfer, would definitely be a great fit at Villa Park.
It is not everyday that a player like the 6f 2 [transfermarkt] Frenchman becomes available for nothing and Smith should act fact to beat Wolves in the race for his signature.