Aston Villa were interested in two Premier League goalkeepers over the summer.
According to the Birmingham Mail, Steve Bruce was hoping to bring either Angus Gunn or Danny Ward to Aston Villa over the summer, but had to sign Orjan Nyland instead.
Villa saw Sam Johnstone star between the sticks last season, but he returned to Manchester United and then on to West Bromwich Albion, leaving Villa to find a goalkeeper.
In the end, they actually signed two as Andre Moreira came in from Atletico Madrid, whilst Norwegian international Nyland arrived from German side Ingolstadt.
Nyland has struggled for Villa this season, and his performances have led many to believe that Dean Smith will target a new goalkeeper in January.
Tom Heaton and Karl Darlow have been touted, and reports are now emerging about goalkeepers Villa actually missed out on in the summer.
The Birmingham Mail report that Villa wanted to land either Angus Gunn from Manchester City or Danny Ward from Liverpool, presumably on loan, but couldn’t land either.
That’s no huge surprise; Gunn joined Southampton for £13.5million (BBC), and Ward moved on to Leicester City for £12.5million (The Independent), and their combined £26million valuation shows why Villa missed out.
Clubs unsurprisingly wanted to sell for big money rather than loan the two stoppers, and that forced Villa to take Nyland instead – but just months on, they could be back in the market for another goalkeeper.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
