Joey Barton to Aston Villa? He beat Westwood in five areas last season

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The midfielder is set to leave Rangers and has been linked with Aston Villa.

With Joey Barton now close to bringing his disastrous time at Rangers to a close the question of his next club has become prominent.

Despite things going awry at Ibrox, Barton is likely to have plenty of offers on the table moving forward.

A return to the Championship would be a smart move, especially given the performances he put in during Burnley’s promotion winning campaign last year.

Aston Villa are keen, according to the Mirror, and the bookmakers have made Steve Bruce’s team the favourites to secure his signature.

But would a move for the 34-year-old represent smart business for the Villans? Well, a look at the stats shows he would be an improvement on at least one player.

Last season, Barton was better than Ashley Westwood in no less than five key areas.

On a per game basis, Barton managed to win more tackles, 2.2 compared to 1.3, more interceptions, 2.2 compared to 1.7 and more defensive duels, 6.8 compared to 2.7.

He was also superior when it came to ball recoveries, with his score of 8.5 per game far better than Westwood’s 6.4 per game.

The Villa man was better going forward, though, posting more accurate passes per game, 39.5 compared to 38.1, and more key passes per game. He also enjoyed a better overall passing accuracy.

Surprisingly, however, Barton ended the campaign with the better goal tally having managed three compared to Westwood’s two.

The move will likely depend on what Bruce is looking for. If he wants to add more defensive solidity then these stats prove Barton could be a smart capture.