Aston Villa have reportedly joined the Championship sides interested in signing Tom Heaton from Burnley during the January transfer window.
The Villans signed two stoppers during the summer after proving unable to keep Sam Johnstone. Andre Moreira was their first senior signing of the window as he arrived from Atletico Madrid on loan, while Orjan Nyland joined permanently shortly before the deadline.
Unfortunately, Moreira has only featured in the Carabao Cup and there appears to be plenty of Villa fans who remain unconvinced about Nyland.
The latter has definitely improved, and Villa’s defensive record is much better under Smith. They have kept three clean sheets in their five games under the new boss, and two of the three goals they conceded came away at league leaders Norwich City.
Nevertheless, Smith still wants to bolster his options in January. The Sun on Sunday (25/11; page 60) reports that Villa are looking to rival Bristol City and Stoke City to sign Heaton on loan.
Heaton has dropped down the pecking order at Turf Moor since sustaining a serious injury last season. Nick Pope was superb last year and Joe Hart has performed well since arriving from Manchester City in the summer.
And with Pope edging back towards full fitness, Heaton – who earns £35,000-a-week, according to Spotrac – could be about to become third choice.
Despite his struggles at Burnley, Heaton would arguably be a fantastic signing for Villa. The England international has won promotion twice and has impressed at the highest level.
He would arguably give the Villa defence the confidence and reassurance that Smith’s current crop of keepers probably do not provide, so the Villans boss should certainly look to prioritise a move for the 32-year-old when the next window opens.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
