Aston Villa are keen on Karl Darlow if Sam Johnstone is recalled from his loan, but perhaps Darlow’s Newcastle United teammate would be a better option.
One of Steve Bruce’s biggest concerns heading into the January transfer window is what the future may hold for Aston Villa’s loanee goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
With the 24-year-old’s future uncertain, Bruce has surely got to have a replacement lined up. The Sun suggested a month ago that Newcastle’s Karl Darlow was set to be on the radar – but he has since returned to the first-team picture for the Magpies, so it arguably seems unlikely that Rafa Benitez will sanction a deal for the former Nottingham Forest man unless he strengthens his own options.
So perhaps the Villans should consider one of Darlow’s teammates if Johnstones heads back to Old Trafford, especially as the Chronicle recently suggested that he would leave St James’ Park for a loan spell in 2018.
Freddie Woodman is one of the brightest talents in the Newcastle squad, and it appears that many of the fans see him as the future number one for the Magpies given his huge potential.
It seems however, that Benitez is not ready to give him a chance and feels that his development would benefit most from a temporary move next month – so perhaps Villa should offer Woodman the chance to join if they lose Johnstone.
The 20-year-old may have limited first-team experience, but he is clearly destined for a bright future and was a key part of England’s under-20 World Cup-winning squad earlier this year, being awarded the tournament’s best goalkeeper prize.
It seems, after plenty of big spending in recent windows, Bruce is going to have to be quite canny in January if he wants to keep his Villa side in the play-off picture come the end of the season. Keeping Johnstone may be the best option, but replacing him with Woodman if he leaves may not be a bad idea either.
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