Aston Villa: Two potential knock-on effects as Villans eye Matthias Ginter

According to Sky Deutschland journalist Florian Plettenberg, Aston Villa are interested in signing Matthias Ginter this summer.

Borussia Monchengladbach centre-back Ginter revealed earlier this campaign that he will not extend his contract with the Foals, and will move on a free transfer at the end of the campaign. A number of clubs have been linked with the Germany international, including Bayern Munich and Juventus.

Now, it appears Villa have thrown their hat into the ring. As per Plettenberg, Gerrard wants to bring in the former Borussia Dortmund man, and Villans officials have contacted his management. Ginter, it is added, has not yet decided and is waiting for other options.

What impact would a potential Ginter move to Villa have? Read on as we delve deeper.

Giving Gerrard what he wants

Ex-Rangers boss Gerrard is said to want to bring in Champions League-level players, and the arrival of Philippe Coutinho shows the club back him.

Bringing in £21.6m-valued Ginter would further fulfil Gerrard’s demands. The 28-year-old has 21 Champions League appearances to his name for Mönchengladbach and Dortmund – more than the majority of the Villa squad – while he has also picked up 46 caps for Germany and was part of the group that won the 2014 World Cup.

German legend Lothar Matthaus has even previously compared Ginter to Sergio Ramos, which is high praise indeed coming from someone who featured in three consecutive World Cups.

Ginter’s capture would be a real statement of intent, of that there is no doubt.

Danger for Konsa or Mings?

Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa has been the most common partnership at the heart of the back four so far this campaign. With the league’s 11th-best defence – including nine goals conceded in the last four games – there is certainly room for improvement, and with no indication that Gerrard would look to play three at the back, one of the two Englishmen could be in danger.

Mings is club captain and perhaps has more security, but at 29, he is not getting any younger and has not had his best campaign, averaging a rating of 6.74 as per WhoScored.

Meanwhile, Konsa is 24, but his rating has been significantly poorer than his older teammate. As per Sport 1, Ginter earns €4m (£3.3m) a year at Monchengladbach, and it has been said AS Roma would offer him €8m (£6.7m) to move to Italy. That works out at roughly £130,000 a week – more than any other player currently on the books at Villa Park bar Coutinho.

You would expect Ginter to be looking for a significant pay packet, and were he to move to Villa, that is not the sort of money they could really afford to keep on the bench. Someone would have to miss out.

TIF Verdict on Ginter…

You can’t fault Villa’s ambition, and it is clear given the money they have spent recently – only five sides on the planet spent more than them during the previous summer transfer window – that they are looking to make a splash towards the top of the Premier League.

However, given the big-hitters interested in Ginter, he may likely end up moving elsewhere. Unfortunately, Villa may need to move on to other targets in their attempts to boost their defence.