Aston Villa’s priorities now appear to be set on a new central midfielder and one name stands out as the perfect candidate…
What’s the word?
According to John Percy of the Telegraph, Dean Smith is eyeing a loan swoop for Chelsea powerhouse Ruben Loftus-Cheek as an alternative to his teammate Ross Barkley.
It’s claimed that the Villa boss wants a new ‘No.8’ as one of his final recruits this transfer window, although he can’t sign both Blues players due to Premier League regulations.
Loftus-Cheek was left out of their Carabao Cup squad in midweek and has sunk down the pecking order due to injuries.
Quite the coup?
Even though it would only be on a temporary basis, managing to secure the 24-year-old for the season would be quite the signing.
He certainly fits the profile of those that have already walked through the door – namely Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash – of being homegrown talents with plenty of potential.
During the 2018/19 season at Stamford Bridge, Loftus-Cheek was rather impressive as he provided ten goals and five assists from only 14 starts across the Premier League and Champions League.
Whilst his previous loan spell at Palace suggests what he could bring to Villa, he averaged three dribbles, 1.3 shots, 1.1 key passes and 0.9 tackles per game, via WhoScored.
He could well be the perfect box-to-box option for Smith.
Glenn Hoddle claimed that Loftus-Cheek was similar to Michael Ballack, he said: “He reminds me of Ballack – physically and the way he plays. He gets in the box and he moves well off the ball. He likes that position in behind the front player” whilst FourFourTwo make the comparison to Paul Pogba due to his imposing 6 foot 3 frame and ability to dominate physically.
Even Cesar Azplicueta is a big fan, claiming the Englishman has “unbelievable strength. He can push past defenders, get in the box, score goals, and he defends. He is a complete player.”
Valued at £21.6m by Transfermarkt, Johan Lange could deliver an absolute steal.
AND in other news, Villa would be making a huge mistake by selling one man this summer…