Aston Villa and Crystal Palace scouted Austria vs Sweden.
We might be a long way away from the January transfer window but Aston Villa and Crystal Palace might already be planning to bring in new faces to boost their squad in the New Year. Both sides are a little short at the back after all.
After the departures of John Terry, Chris Samba and Tommy Elphick, Aston Villa have only one natural centre-back with manager Steve Bruce seemingly scouring the free agent market for a much needed addition.
Palace, however, struggled with injuries in defence throughout most of last season. The experienced Scott Dann has been out since January with a serious knee problem.
So it is interesting to note that both Aston Villa and Crystal Palace sent scouts to watch the international friendly between Austria and Sweden on Thursday night, as reported by Laola1.
And one player who would fit the bill for both sides right now is Leeds United’s Pontus Jansson. The commanding, tough tackling centre-back played the full 90 minutes as Sweden lost 2-0 in Vienna thanks to David Alaba and an own goal from Filip Helander.
Helander (above), despite putting through his own net, is another viable defensive target. Tutto Bologna reported in December last year that the Bologna centre-back was on Aston Villa’s radar.
Martin Hinteregger (below), the always improving Augsburg man, also started in Vienna for Austria and has been linked with a move to England on numerous occasions in recent years.
It remains to be seen, however, whether anything will come of Villa and Palace’s trip to the Alps.
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