Aston Villa have been very impressive in recent times under Dean Smith, despite only securing a point against Reading last time out.
The Villains will still feel confident that they can secure a play-off place from here on in until the end of the season, after securing the services of Tyrone Mings, Kortney Hause and Tom Carroll last month.
But, one problem that still faces the Villains is at left-back as Dean Smith deployed Tyrone Mings at the heart of the defence at the Madejski Stadium. Indeed, the Englishman did a terrific job against Reading so he may be permanently used as a central defender, which still leaves Villa having to make use of Neil Taylor.
Taylor has been one of the Midlands club’s biggest disappointments in the current campaign, with errors and a lack of defensive quality leaving them worse for wear at the back at times.
Dean Smith reportedly had his sights set on securing Leicester City’s Christian Fuchs last month, but the Premier League club turned down their loan offer.
The fact that Villa made an offer in the first place was eye-catching enough as the left-back was once arguably one of the best full-backs in the Premier League and he has a Premier League winners medal to his name.
Of course, the Villains can do nothing about the rejection from the Foxes but they could have at least made a permanent offer as the Austrian would’ve been an incredible purchase. Leicester may have rejected that as well but that doesn’t stop supporters from dreaming about what their club might have achieved with him in their side.
Indeed, Fuchs would have soon sent the Midlands club soaring into the play-off places as he has plenty of experience under his belt, as well as the ability to have a huge impact in the final third and in defensive areas. The Villains would never have to worry about defensive solidity if the 32-year-old rocked up at Villa Park, as he very rarely misses a tackle and has come up against some of the world’s best in recent years.
Aston Villa fans – thoughts on whether you should have signed Fuchs?