ASTON VILLA are reeling on the back of a 6-1 home thrashing against Manchester City – but thankfully the transfer window is open.
Boss Dean Smith is sure to go for a number of new faces in a battle to beat the dreaded drop.
And bringing in a striker will be the priority.
Wesley is out for the season with a cruciate knee injury – but with just six goals in all competitions this season clearly Villa needed more anyway.
The likes of Christian Benteke and Michy Batshuayi have been linked with filling Wesley’s boots, and both would be keen for a chance of first team football.
While Benteke could be available on a loan deal, Batshauyi could cost as much as £45m from Chelsea, as SunSport exclusively revealed.
It was rumoured before Christmas that Villa were sniffing around another Blues player – Pedro.
REINA CLOSE TO MOVE
The Spanish winger is out of contract at the end of the season and could be available for a cut-priced fee.
The 32-year-old is down Frank Lampard’s pecking order at Stamford Bridge, but would bring some much-needed experience to a Villa side short on confidence.
No1 keeper Tom Heaton has also been ruled out for the season. Jed Steer, last season’s Championship hero, came in to replace him, but then he got injured too.
This prompted the gaffer to search for a stopper with Premier League experience, and he looks to have found that with ex-Liverpool man Pep Reina.
The Spaniard is poised to complete a loan move from AC Milan this week.
Speaking after the 6-1 home thrashing to the defending Prem champs, Smith promised he and his squad will “learn” from the loss.
He said: “We’ll debrief the game, we’ll learn from it and move forward. We were poor against Watford but learned from it and put in a good performance against Burnley.
“What we can learn from is the way they pass and move, the way they work as a team and press. It’s something for myself and the players to aspire to.
“We made mistakes and got punished by a better team.”
Aston Villa boss Dean Smith undoubtedly needs some additions to the squadCredit: AFP
Aston Villa want cut-price deal for Chelsea’s Pedro in January transfer window
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
