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Henri Lansbury vs Aston Villa midfielder Ashley Westwood

General view of Paper planes on the pitch thrown by Aston Villa fans in protest - Villa Park (Reuters)
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Aston Villa linked with move for Nottingham Forest midfielder Henri Lansbury.

Aston Villa are showing an interest in Nottingham Forest captain Henri Lansbury, SkySports report.

Lansbury has just six months remaining on his contract and Villa are hopeful of securing him by offering £3 million.

Nottingham Forest's Henri Lansbury shootsNottingham Forest’s Henri Lansbury shoots

The former England under-21 star would add much needed creativity to Villa’s midfield, which was sorely lacking in their 1-0 loss to Cardiff City in their last match.

Lansbury compares favourably with Villa regular Ashley Westwood, with the ex-Crewe midfielder looking lost this campaign.

Aston Villa's Ashley Westwood in action with Derby's Jacob ButterfieldAston Villa’s Ashley Westwood in action with Derby’s Jacob Butterfield

The potential signing comes out on top in nearly every major category when compared with Villa’s current option.

Passing AccuracyWon Tackles per gameInterceptions per gameTouches per gameShots AssistsGoalsAppearances
Ashley Westwood79%1.051.0537.6820022
Henri Lansbury75%1.411.3561.65143617

Lansbury has played five fewer matches than Westwood but has managed to directly contribute to nine goals, as opposed to none from Westwood.

He is unafraid to get on the ball and have a shot at goal, with Westwood having just two scoring attempts in 22 matches.

Nottingham Forest's Henri Lansbury celebratesNottingham Forest’s Henri Lansbury celebrates

Notably Lansbury is also more effective when not in possession, averaging more tackles per game and interceptions.

The proposed £3 million fee would be money well spent, as the signing would give Villa an instant upgrade in a key area, vital if they want to gatecrash the play-offs and win promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt.