Burnley stopper Tom Heaton admitted to The Mirror recently that he may have to leave Turf Moor in January if he wants to be starting enough games thanks to the form of Joe Hart, and Aston Villa should be at the front of the queue for the 32-year-old.
What’s the situation?
Villa recently sacked Steve Bruce after a poor run of form left the club floundering below midtable in the Championship. Having been rejected by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and Jose Mourinho’s former assistant Rui Faria, the hierarchy eventually settled on Smith.
The former Brentford boss will be looking to make his mark on the squad in January, and a move for Heaton could solve the goalkeeping issues at Villa Park.
Two new goalkeepers were brought in by Bruce over the summer, with Andre Moreira arriving on loan from Atletico Madrid and Orjan Nyland, who has started all but one Championship game so far, joining from German side FC Ingolstadt.
Nyland has yet to properly impress though and the Villans have conceded 20 goals in their first 12 league games, although that may have something to do with the struggles in defence too.
Promotion chasing
If Villa are to go one step further than last year where they lost the playoff final 1-0 to Fulham, then they will need to make some moves in the January window, and signing Heaton could be key to this.
The England international suffered a dislocated shoulder last season that kept him out until the last few games of the campaign and allowed Nick Pope to shine as Sean Dyche’s side finished seventh in the Premier League.
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This meant that Pope was handed the final goalkeeping spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the World Cup in Russia but at the start of this season the 26-year-old also suffered a dislocated shoulder as Heaton was recovering from a calf problem.
With both of his international goalkeepers ruled out, Dyche moved for Joe Hart from Manchester City and his recent performances could now force Heaton, who is now 32-years-old, to leave in search of game time.
So, Villa fans, would you welcome a move for the Burnley man in January or would the money be better spent elsewhere? Have your say by voting in the poll below.
