Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce reportedly wants a reunion with Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Keiren Westwood.
Sheffield Wednesday’s Keiren Westwood
According to The Sun, Aston Villa are interested in Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Keiren Westwood, and could lodge a bid for the Irishman in January.
Villa did snap up a goalkeeper over the summer in Italian stopper Pierluigi Gollini, but the former Manchester United youngster has endured ups and downs so far this season, whilst Mark Bunn didn’t cover himself in glory in his only league start of the season, a 2-0 defeat at Preston.
That uncertainty between the sticks has led many to believe that new manager Steve Bruce could make a move for a new goalkeeper in January, and one of the league’s best is being linked with the club.
The Sun report that Villa are interested in snapping up Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Keiren Westwood, and could make a January move despite him allegedly being valued at £6m by the Owls.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce
Westwood, 32, has established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in the Championship since joining Wednesday on a free transfer in the summer of 2014, and is closing in on 100 appearances for the club.
The Republic of Ireland international has a contract until 2019, meaning that Wednesday can demand a huge fee – but Bruce’s history with Westwood may mean that he pushes for owner Tony Xia to cough up the money for Westwood.
Sheffield Wednesday’s Keiren Westwood
Bruce signed Westwood at Sunderland back in 2011, and whilst he largely played second-fiddle to Simon Mignolet, Bruce clearly rated Westwood highly, as his quotes to The Mirror following Westwood’s arrival showed.
“Not only is Keiren full of potential, he has proved he has what it takes week in and week out under a heavy workload against tough opposition,” said Bruce. “We are looking forward to working with him and we are delighted to have added further competition in a vital position,” he added.
This time though, Westwood would undoubtedly be first choice under Bruce, and adding a proven Championship goalkeeper to the Villa side could help Bruce’s men chase a play-off place – but Wednesday are also going for a top six place, and won’t let their goalkeeper go without a real fight.
Would you like to see Westwood join Aston Villa?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
