da esoccer bet： It was a turbulent summer at Villa Park as Steve Bruce’s side lost the Championship Playoff Final 1-0 to Fulham, meaning the club missed out on promotion to the Premier League and all the riches that it brings.
da pinup bet： The Villains were in huge financial difficulty and faced a winding up order from HMRC over unpaid taxes. At one point the club were also in line to sell their brightest prospect Jack Grealish, boss Steve Bruce told Sky Sports, in order to meet Financial Fair Play guidelines.
Thankfully for Villa fans though, Dr Tony Xia eventually sold a controlling stake in the club to Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, who began pumping money back into Villa. Bruce was eventually able to keep hold of Grealish and make seven signings, but he failed to add a centre-back to his squad, despite them being desperately short, and even sanctioned the loan of Tommy Elphick to Hull.
With James Chester and Axel Tuanzebe the only recognised centre-backs at Villa Park, and the latter being played out of position at right-back, Bruce has been playing defensive-midfielder Mile Jedinak at centre-back and the Villains have conceded 11 goals in their first six games.
With The Sun reporting that John Terry is set to join Russian side Spartak Moscow, Bruce could desperately need to bring in a centre-back to save his job. Here at Football FanCast, we’ve taken a look at the potential options.
Robert Huth
Huth left Leicester this summer after two and a half seasons at the club where he won his third league title, over ten years after his first two came with Chelsea. The now 34-year-old has bundles of experience and even has 19 caps for the German national team.
In a recent Football FanCast poll, 83% of Villa fans voted in favour of the club signing Huth, after the Daily Mirror claimed that he was the most likely replacement following the Birmingham-based club missing out on Terry.
James Collins
West Ham cult hero Collins was released by the Irons this summer via email, according to talkSPORT, after he spent 11 years at the club and made 214 appearances. The Telegraph now report that he is training with Villa’s Championship rivals Ipswich, but is delaying signing a contract as he waits for an approach from Steve Bruce’s side.
Now 35-years-old though, Collins may not be the best option thanks to his lack of pace, although he would bring a wealth of experience to the club.
Steven Caulker
Ex-Cardiff, Queens Park Rangers and Tottenham man Caulker is only 26-years-old but has a huge amount of experience in both the Premier League and the Championship. After leaving QPR in 2017 though his career was on a downward spiral, but he made an inspired decision to join Dundee which allowed him to get back towards his best.
Now though, after half a season and 17 games for the club, Caulker left Dundee during the summer in order to sign as a free-agent elsewhere and his age could make him the best option for Bruce as a more long-term solution than any of the other free-agents.
Micah Richards
Richards is now the definition of a forgotten man at Villa, but he is still under contract at the club. The Birmingham-born defender is a former England international with 13 caps for his country but hasn’t played a competitive game for over two years after struggling badly with injuries.
He did however make an appearance in former teammate Stiliyan Petrov’s charity match on Saturday, proving that he is now able to play again, even though it was at a testimonial pace. Given a few weeks to get himself fit though he could be an option to ease the current pressure from fans on his current manager.
So, Villa fans, which centre-back would you rather see the club sign (or re-integrate in Richards’ case)? Let us know by voting in the poll below.