Why Aston Villa should sign Christian Luyindama in the summer
According to news outlet Turkiye (h/t Birmingham Mail), Aston Villa still have Galatasaray defender Christian Luyindama on their radar.
Villa have been tracking the 26-year-old centre-back for some time now since his £4.5million switch from Belgian side Standard Liege to Galatasaray last summer. Luyindama had earned himself a permanent move after impressing for the Turkish giants following a six-month loan spell in January 2019.
The DR Congo international started in 11 of their final 15 league games, managing four clean sheets, thus prompting the club hierarchy to secure his services permanently next summer.
Meanwhile, Luyindama had a good start to his life in Turkey this season, appearing in 10 of their first 11 league outings, before being ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury. Despite featuring just 10 times, Luyindama bagged four clean sheets, signifying his worth in Fatih Terim’s Galatasaray side.
With Luyindama’s numbers giving a clear indication of his potential, clubs such as Aston Villa and Wolves started showing an interest in him.
Luyindama can offer Villa consistency at the back
Newly promoted Villans, on the other hand, are fighting for their survival in the league after managing just 7 wins from their 29 league outings. They currently are in the relegation zone, just one spot ahead of bottom-placers Norwich City.
An inconsistent and weak defence has been one of the major reasons for Villa’s poor form this season. They have the worst defensive record in the league, conceding 56 goals and are clearly in need of an established defender to partner alongside main man Tyrone Mings.
The 27-year-old has been the only regular face in the heart of Villa’s defence this season, with the rest of the side’s centre-backs failing to impress. Manager Smith had, earlier in the summer, roped in three new centre-backs to bolster his squad’s defence after gaining promotion to the Premier League.
However, the three of them – Bjorn Engels, Ezri Konsa, and Kortney Hause, failed to establish themselves, forcing Smith to look for better options.
That said, Villa must continue their pursuit of Luyindama and land the Galatasaray defender as soon as possible to avoid another poor season.
Read more:
- Why Aston Villa could make good use of Fabio Borini
- Why Aston Villa should not hold onto Keinan Davis
- Time for goodbye – Why Aston Villa must part ways with Dean Smith’s first-ever signing for the club Lovre Kalinic
Verdict
Despite having enough depth in central defence, Villa clearly lack an established face and could really do with a defender of Luyindama’s mould. Having impressed for Galatasaray during his short spell there, Luyindama’s arrival can only strengthen and stabilise a Villa defence that looks shaky at the moment.
