Liam Lindsay can be a good addition to Aston Villa’s squad
According to the Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa have lined up Barnsley centre-back Liam Lindsay as a potential target next summer, with manager Dean Smith keen on bolstering his brittle defence ahead of the upcoming season.
Lindsay has impressed at the back for League One promotion hopefuls Barnsley this season, making 31 appearances and helping his team achieve the joint best defensive record in the third tier. The 23-year-old Scotsman has established himself as one of the mainstays of Barnsley’s backline since his move from Scottish club Partick Thistle at the start of the last season.
He played 42 times in his first season as Barnsley faced the drop in the Championship but the 23-year-old has been in impressive form this term, keeping his team in the race for promotion with his consistently impressive displays at the back. Lindsay has made a total of 79 appearances for Barnsley across all competitions over the course of two seasons.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s hopes of securing a spot in the promotion playoffs suffered another blow as the Lions played out a 1-1 draw against Stoke City this week. They were expected to be one of the favourites to push for promotion but things haven’t really gone according to the script for Dean Smith’s side. As things stand, they are still in the race for a promotion playoff spot but that is just a mere mathematical possibility.
Villa’s campaign has been marred to a large extent by their defensive woes, with Dean Smith failing to shore up the team’s leaky backline after replacing Steve Bruce at the helm of affairs. To be honest, they didn’t lack defensive options at the start of the season but recurrent injuries to several of the key men at the back have cost them dearly. As a result, the manager hasn’t been able to field a settled combination at the heart of the defence.
Man United loanee Axel Tuanzebe, James Chester, veteran Mile Jedinak and Tommy Elphick have all been rotated at the back but none of them has been consistent enough. Villa bolstered their defensive options with the loan signings of Tyrone Mings and Kortney Hause from Bournemouth and Wolves respectively but that has had little impact on the results.
To put things into perspective, a young and powerful centre-back like Lindsay can make a lot of difference to Aston Villa’s squad depth. Standing at 6ft.3 inches with a towering frame, Lindsay is known for his aerial ability and physicality, whilst also possessing decent game-reading abilities to go with his above-average positional sense. He has the experience of playing in the Championship and it won’t be difficult for him to fit into the team.
Villa need to shore up their backline in the summer to push for promotion next season. That said, they should leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of the highly-rated League One defensive wall.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa’s hopes of securing a spot in the promotion playoffs suffered another blow as the Lions played out a 1-1 draw against Stoke City this week. They were expected to be one of the favourites to push for promotion but things haven’t really gone according to the script for Dean Smith’s side. As things stand, they are still in the race for a promotion playoff spot but that is just a mere mathematical possibility.
Villa’s campaign has been marred to a large extent by their defensive woes, with Dean Smith failing to shore up the team’s leaky backline after replacing Steve Bruce at the helm of affairs. To be honest, they didn’t lack defensive options at the start of the season but recurrent injuries to several of the key men at the back have cost them dearly. As a result, the manager hasn’t been able to field a settled combination at the heart of the defence.
Man United loanee Axel Tuanzebe, James Chester, veteran Mile Jedinak and Tommy Elphick have all been rotated at the back but none of them has been consistent enough. Villa bolstered their defensive options with the loan signings of Tyrone Mings and Kortney Hause from Bournemouth and Wolves respectively but that has had little impact on the results.
To put things into perspective, a young and powerful centre-back like Lindsay can make a lot of difference to Aston Villa’s squad depth. Standing at 6ft.3 inches with a towering frame, Lindsay is known for his aerial ability and physicality, whilst also possessing decent game-reading abilities to go with his above-average positional sense. He has the experience of playing in the Championship and it won’t be difficult for him to fit into the team.
