As per a report from Italian outlet Calciomercato, EFL Championship outfit Aston Villa are plotting an audacious move to sign veteran defender Laurent Koscielny from Arsenal.
The Frenchman is free to leave the club in search of regular first-team action, with playing time not coming his way at the Emirates currently (h/t TEAMtalk). And Villa are hoping to swoop in for the 33-year-old’s signature either on a loan deal or a permanent basis in the January transfer window.
It has been a difficult start to the campaign for the Villans. The Midlands outfit had to let go of Steve Bruce after their disappointing beginning and brought in Dean Smith to resurrect their campaign.
However, there is a long way to go for the Claret and Blues if they are to find themselves anywhere near the playoff positions come the end of the season. And to that end, strengthening of the squad in the January window will play a huge role for Villa.
The central defensive area is something that has been a major cause of concern for the Midlands outfit. With John Terry’s departure and Tommy Elphick being surprisingly loaned out, the club are left with just James Chester as the senior centre-back. While they did bring in Axel Tuanzebe on loan from Manchester United, he was majorly used as a right-back by Bruce.
Smith has reinstated the youngster in the heart of the defence but they need more quality and bench strength in that position to improve on their poor start to the season and Koscielny could prove to be a viable option for Aston Villa.
The 33-year-old is a vastly experienced campaigner with over 450 career appearances to his name. Having joined Arsenal back in 2010, Koscielny has gone on to make close to 250 Premier League appearances for the Gunners and has won three FA Cups and three FA Community Shields.
However, injuries have curtailed his presence on the field over the past year or so. Having featured rather sparingly in Arsene Wenger’s final season, the Frenchman has not made a single appearance under new manager Unai Emery in the ongoing campaign. The likes of Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Shkodran Mustafi, Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos are all ahead of him in the pecking order.
His injury record might be a concern for Villa, but his volumes of experience and the know-how would prove to be invaluable to the club. At 33, Koscielny still has plenty left to offer at the top level and his natural leadership qualities are something that the Villans could definitely do with.
Much like John Terry did last season, Koscielny could become the new leader on and off the field for Aston Villa. His wages would prove to be a stumbling block for the Midlands side. However, if they are able to strike an agreement with the player and Arsenal, he would prove to be a brilliant addition to the club.
