Aston Villa Opinion: Neil Etheridge could help Villa preserve their Premier League status
According to Wales Online, Aston Villa are interested in signing Cardiff City shot-stopper Neil Etheridge in the summer transfer window, as the Lions look to build a strong enough squad capable of surviving in the top-flight.
Villa have had an £8million bid for the 29-year-old turned down by Cardiff but they are determined to make a renewed attempt to sign the Filipino international, with Fulham and West Ham also in the hunt to land the coveted shot-stopper. (h/t Wales Online)
Etheridge has expressed his desire to stay in the top-flight after proving his credentials in the Premier League this past season, although the 29-year-old has admitted that his future doesn’t necessarily lie in his hands. Nevertheless, he would be open to the prospect of playing in the Premier League with newly-promoted side Aston Villa. (h/t Wales Online)
The Filipino international was one of the shining lights of Cardiff’s otherwise disappointing campaign in the Premier League this past season, which saw the Bluebirds suffer relegation to the Championship.
Etheridge amassed as many as 10 clean sheets in the Premier League for a Cardiff side that was under the cosh for large chunks of the campaign and his heroics between the sticks haven’t gone unnoticed, with a number of top-flight clubs prepared to offer him an escape route.
The 29-year-old earned plenty of plaudits for his performances with the gloves and he was one of the prime reasons why Cardiff stayed alive in the relegation battle towards the dying stages of the campaign.
A youth product of Chelsea, Etheridge joined Fulham’s youth set-up in 2006 and made his first-team bow in a UEFA Europa League tie, although he never featured in a Premier League game for the Cottagers. Etheridge spent time on loan at several lower division clubs before joining Oldham Athletic.
The Filipino international impressed for Walsall in the League One before Cardiff came calling for his services in 2017. Etheridge was one of the driving forces behind the Bluebirds’ promotion-winning campaign in the Championship in the 2017-18 season and he did his reputation no harm in the Premier League in the subsequent campaign.
Etheridge registered a total of 138 saves in the Premier League this past season, 95 of which came from inside the penalty area, figures which speak volumes of his razor-sharp reflexes and quick anticipation between the sticks. He averaged an impressive 3.7 saves per game and those numbers should be enough to justify how well he played his part.
To put things into perspective, Aston Villa would strike gold with the signing of Neil Etheridge and it should be a no-brainer for the Lions to launch an improved bid to land the Filipino shot-stopper this summer. A player of his calibre certainly deserves to be in the Premier League and his arrival could help Villa could solve a lot of problems in a key area of the pitch.
Norwegian international Orjan Nyland was Villa’s No.1 in the earlier stages of this past season before an Achilles tendon injury ended his campaign prematurely. They brought in Lovre Kalinic as the new first-choice in January and recalled Jed Steer from his loan spell at Charlton Athletic to provide cover for the Croatian international.
However, Kalinic, himself, was sidelined with an injury, forcing Steer to assume the No.1 and the 26-year-old played his part to perfection, putting in a number of solid shifts between the sticks en route to Villa’s march to playoff success and Premier League promotion.
Villa also have the services of Mark Bunn in their ranks but neither of their existing options has prior experience of playing in the Premier League. Nyland looked vulnerable between the sticks this past season.
While Kalinic has a good profile for being the No.1 in the Premier League, Villa should not forget that the 6ft. 7 inches giant had a poor start to life in English football, conceding as many as 8 goals in his first 3 outings for the Lions.
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Etheridge presents a more tested and proven option when it comes to the Premier League and it would be fair to say that the acquisition of the 29-year-old could go a long way towards deciding Villa fortunes in the top-flight next season.
That said, the signing of Neil Etheridge would be the perfect start to the summer for Dean Smith and company.
