Leeds United missed out on Bologna defender Filip Helander in the summer but Aston VIlla could pick up the deal in January.
Surely even the most selfish of players would not want to see a team-mate pick up a nasty injury. Yet, when John Terry hobbled out of Aston Villa’s 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday before the international break, the out-of-favour centre-back Tommy Elphick might have been eyeing up an opportunity.
The former Bournemouth skipper has not made the impact at Villa that the fans had hoped for. He was expected to leave in the summer with the likes of Sunderland heavily linked (The Chronicle). But, surprisingly, he remained in the Midlands.
Now, Elphick may be wondering why he’d bothered. After being sent off in a 2-0 home defeat to Middlesbrough in September, the 30-year-old has not been seen since.
And with Italian publication Tuttomercatoweb reporting that Villa have sent scouts to watch Bologna defender Filip Helander this weekend, Elphick’s hopes of earning a second chance under Steve Bruce appear to be remote at best.
24-year-old Helander is a Swedish international who has started 11 Serie A games under Roberto Donadoni at Bologna this season. And with Villa watching on, he impressed in Sunday’s 3-2 away win at Hellas Verona.
Goal reported during the summer that Championship rivals Leeds were interested in signing Helander and reuniting him with compatriot and former Malmo partner Pontus Jansson with a bid of £5.3 million possibly enough to convince Bologna to cash in.
And if Villa are to make another attempt to bring Helander to England in January, Elphick should get his bags packed as soon as possible. Perhaps a Sunderland side conceding goals at a remarkable rate could offer the seldom seen centre-back the chance to get his career back on track.
The Black Cats are crying out for defensive reinforcements sitting bottom of the Championship table. And while Elphick has not made a success of his move at Villa, he is experienced and proven in the second tier and could find that a change of scenary is key to finding his best form once again.
If Villa let Elphick go for a cut-price deal, the cash-strapped Sunderland shouldn’t wait around.
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