Aston Villa paid £7million to sign Lovre Kalinic from Gent in the January transfer window and kept his first Championship clean sheet at Reading.
Lovre Kalinic believes he produced the best performance of his short-lived Aston Villa career in Saturday’s goalless draw away at Reading.
The giant goalkeeper arrived for £7 million from Belgian outfit KAA Gent during the January transfer window and was expected to be a major upgrade on the butter-fingered Norway international Orjan Nyland (Sky Sports).
The cynics were out in force, however, after Kalinic endured a difficult start to life in English football, conceding eight goals in his first three games including an error-strewn performance in an FA Cup third round battering against Swansea City.
The 28-year-old belatedly proved his worth as Villa travelled to Reading this weekend, however, looking more assured than ever before while making top class saves in the first half to deny Nelson Oliveira and Liam Moore.
“This was my best game in an Aston Villa shirt. In a couple of previous games, I wasn’t on my level,” Kalinic, who has replaced Monaco’s Danijel Subasic as Croatia’s number one after the World Cup, told the club’s official website.
“I’ve played five games in a row and have my clean sheet now, which I’m happy about.
“It’s been a new club and a new environment for me over the last month. I’ve needed time to adapt. But now I think the good times are coming.”
Kalinic will be hoping that this is the start of an excellent spell between the sticks with his £7 million price-tag potentially looking like a bargain in the modern era.
Aston Villa are currently ninth in the table, four points adrift of the Championship play-off places.
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