Just when fresh managerial Remi Garde seemed to inject some optimism back into Aston Villa’s otherwise disappointing campaign with a draw against Manchester City during his first match at the Villa Park helm, the Birmingham outfit receive some rather harrowing news.
Left-back Jordan Amavi, one of the few summer additions from Ligue 1 to truly impress the Villa fans, has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a cruciate knee ligament injury.
The Frenchman had been one of the Villains’ better performers during the Premier League’s twelve opening fixtures, averaging 3.6 tackles, 3.7 interceptions and 2.5 successful dribbles per match, and will inevitably leave a considerable void on the left side of their defence.
With many – including us at Football Fancast – unconvinced by understudy Kieran Richardson, Garde may find himself on the lookout for a direct replacement to Amavi in the January transfer window.
Here are Football FanCast’s top FIVE suggestions.
MARCOS ALONSO
Premier League fans may remember Marcos Alonso from his prior spells with Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland, helping the Black Cats stave off relegation under Gus Poyet during the 2013/14 campaign.
The former Real Madrid graduate currently plies his trade with Fiorentina and has enjoyed a fantastic start to the season, claiming two goals and two assists in nine Serie A appearances whilst averaging 1.9 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per match.
A similar presence to Amavi, the Spaniard often finds himself deployed as a winger due to the attacking threat he poses. But Alonso is a solid defender as well; he measures in at 6 foot 2 and has already filled in at centre-back twice for Viola this term.
Intriguingly, the versatile full-back’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season. Although a new deal is reportedly close, Villa will have the chance to swoop if Fiorentina are still waiting for Alonso to sign on the dotted line come January.
GEORGE FRIEND
Middlesbrough’s George Friend has been knocking on the Premier League door for some time both with the Riverside outfit and via the transfer market – with countless top flight clubs linked to his signature over the last years.
The Barnstaple-born left-back, who has worked his way up to the Championship since representing Exeter City at National Conference level way back in 2005, is amid yet another solid season, averaging 3.1 tackles, 1.9 interceptions and 1.6 successful dribbles per match from his 15 league appearances.
Physically adept at 6 foot 2 but also blessed with a dash of attacking flair, Friend’s holistic all-round game could be exactly what Aston Villa need on their left-hand side.
Now 28 years of age, Friend doesn’t have long left if he plans to play top flight football, so even Boro’s current league standing of fourth might not be enough to resist the allure of Aston Villa in January.
ASHLEY COLE
One of the greatest defenders of the Premier League era, England’s most capped left-back of all time and one of the few full-backs to ever keep Cristiano Ronaldo quiet for a full ninety minutes (on quite a few occasions I might add), Ashley Cole is by no means the world-class No.3 he once was.
But the 34-year-old knows English football like the back of his hand and would certainly go a long way to addressing the imbalance of Premier League novices in Aston Villa’s squad.
Likewise, the former Three Lions man has endured a troubled time since leaving Chelsea for Roma in summer 2014. He’s gone on to make just eleven Serie A appearances and having not featured in any competition this season, is on the lookout for a new home in January.
Admittedly, it’s a bit of a punt from Villa’s perspective, considering Cole’s likely wage demands and his lack of first team football over the last two seasons. But every Premier League great deserves their swansong and keeping Villa in the top flight could well be the former Arsenal star’s.
FABIO
After initially showing great promise as a youngster at Manchester United, it has taken a move to Cardiff City for Fabio to resurrect his stuttering career.
No doubt, however, the former Brazil international is a talented player with good pedigree and probably should be plying his trade at a higher level than the Championship. Cardiff’s continued instability since his arrival in January 2014 has certainly done Fabio’s form no favours.
But now seventh in the table, the 25-year-old is finally beginning to show his true credentials, averaging 2.3 tackles and 2.9 interceptions per match this season. Perhaps not a groundbreaking set of statistics but when combined with his top flight experience, they suggest Fabio could do a job for a low-end Premier League side.
With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, the Bluebirds will struggle to turn down offers matching their original £3million investment in January.
HENRI BEDIMO
Many would argue the last thing Aston Villa need is another recruit from Ligue 1 with no Premier League experience whatsoever, but Henri Bedimo represents a special case as a Remi Garde favouite from his Lyon days.
Indeed, the Cameroon international is a French football veteran, having represented the likes of Toulouse, Le Havre, Lens, Montpellier and the aforementioned Les Gones thoughout his career, and was brought to Stade de Gerland by Garde in summer 2013.
He’s a stocky, powerful runner with great energy and attacking flair – so is perhaps better suited to Premier League football than some of Villa’s summer additions.
Bedimo’s registered 65 league outings for Lyon but injuries have curtailed his game-time this season, with the equally experienced Jeremy Morel excelling in his absence.
With the versatile Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and prodigious defender Samuel Umtiti also providing cover at No.3, Lyon are unlikely to put up much of a fuss if Villa come knocking in January – especially considering Bedimo is now 31 years of age and into the final six months of his contract.