Aston Villa are 12/1 to sign Hibernian’s prized asset John McGinn this summer – but he could offer a subtle yet crucial improvement to Steve Bruce’s side.
The 2016/17 season could’ve gone worse for John McGinn. Cruising to the Scottish Championship title as the star of Hibernian’s midfield, winning the league’s Player of the Year award, cementing his position in the Scotland squad, now, the 21-year-old appears to be drawing admiring glances from either side of the Old Firm.
The Daily Record claims that Celtic are planning a £1.5 million summer bid after manager Brendan Rodgers’ lauded McGinn is ‘the type of player you love as a manager’ earlier in the season.
Meanwhile, BetVictor have made Rangers 5/1 second favourites to lure McGinn to Ibrox with manager Pedro Caixinha admitting that he is looking at a number of domestic-based talents.
And although Aston Villa are hardly odds on with BetVictor rating their chances as 12/1, it appears that McGinn is exactly the sort of player the club need to push on from mid-table mediocrity.
Pass master
Villa may have one of the Championship’s strongest starting XIs on paper but, beyond Henri Lansbury and Conor Hourihane, there is a distinct lack of quality in reserve for the creative midfield positions.
Gary Gardner remains something of a jack of all trades while Birkir Bjarnason is yet to prove himself in England after an injury-hit first five months after signing from Basel.
Gary Gardner
McGinn, however, could be the kind of calm, reliable ball-playing midfielder Villa are crying out for. After all, manager Steve Bruce has frequently lamented his side’s inability to maintain possession for extended periods.
Despite victories against Norwich and QPR in the spring, Bruce admitted he was concerned after Villa controlled just 31 and 39 per cent of the ball. If they are to challenge for the top six next season, they’ll need far more composure.
And that’s where McGinn comes in.
Furthermore, with Financial Fair Play ruling out the chances of repeating the £70 million splurge of last season, his £1.5 million price tag would be nothing short of a bargain.
Villa haven’t had much of them in recent seasons.
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