Tom Heaton has been an absolute revelation since swapping Burnley for Premier League rivals Aston Villa in a bargain £8m deal.
For all the millions of pounds Aston Villa spent over the summer on Brazilian centre-forwards, Manchester City starlets and tenacious, ball-winning midfielders, their most inspired signing is proving to be a 33-year-old veteran.
In Tom Heaton, the Midland giants appear to have snapped up one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers for as little as £8 million.
To put that into perspective, that is some £60 million less than the goalkeeper who lined up for the opposition during Aston Villa’s Premier League clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
But while Kepa Arrizabalaga went into the midweek encounter under the microscope after some high-profile errors, Heaton has been a picture of consistency all season long for Dean Smith’s side.
The former Burnley number one has already made genuinely world class saves against the likes of Tottenham and Newcastle United this season and, as he soared flew the air to tip Willian’s swerving, swirling free-kick onto the post, it was Heaton, not Kepa, who looked like the £71 million goalkeeper in West London.
With the European Championships around the corner, and with Jordan Pickford enduring another day to forget at Anfield, Heaton is not merely giving England manager Gareth Southgate food for thought, he’s served up a three-course dinner of dilemmas.
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