Three players Dean Smith should bring to Aston Villa in January

Having let go of Steve Bruce, Aston Villa named Dean Smith their new manager earlier this month, with former player John Terry appointed his assistant.

Despite making a poor start, the Midlands’ outfit notched up a win against Swansea City and have climbed up to 13th in the league standings. Regardless, taking the team back into contention for the playoff spots will not be easy and Smith has his work cut out for him.

However, for that to happen, the club must indulge in heavy recruitment in the January transfer window. The former Brentford boss must bring in new faces to build a team in his own image and to that end, here are three players he should be looking to sign in January.

Matt Penney (Sheffield Wednesday)

The 20-year-old left-back is a product of the Owls’ academy and has made a strong impression in his debut campaign with the senior team. Penney, in the 2018/19 season so far, has made 11 appearances across all competitions, registering a solitary assist in the process.

Villa have just one senior left-back in Neil Taylor and have often been forced to use right-back Alan Hutton as a makeshift left-back. Hence, bringing in a new left-back would indeed be smart for the club. And Penney fits the bill.

At 20, he is getting better with every passing game and has shown that he has what it takes to cut it at this level. Reliable in defence and adventurous going forward, the Englishman would be an astute piece of business for Villa in the winter window.

Scott McKenna (Aberdeen)

The Scotland international was on Villa’s radar in the summer transfer window but they failed with a deadline day bid to land him. (h/t The Scottish Sun) However, they must consider McKenna as a potential target once again in January.

Villa’s feeble defence has been one of their biggest headaches this season and Smith must address it as soon as possibile. Following John Terry’s exit at the end of last season, the club also loaned out the experienced Tommy Elphick. As a result, Mile Jedinak has been used alongside James Chester in the heart of the defence but it has not worked out all too well for the Villans.

McKenna is one of the best centre-backs in the Scottish Premiership and has been an integral part of the Aberdeen side that has been finishing as runners-up behind Celtic for the past couple of seasons. Strong and physical, the 21-year-old is comfortable playing out from the back and has a bright future ahead. Signing him would certainly stabilize the shaky Villa defence.

Ollie Watkins (Brentford)

Having worked with him at Brentford and helping him enjoy a scintillating start to the 2018/19 campaign for the Bees, Watkins’ name should definitely be on the new Villa manager’s shopping list for January.

The 22-year-old has been in fine form in the ongoing season, having already netted four goals and setting up two more in 12 appearances in the Championship. In contrast, none of Villa’s wide players – Anwar El Ghazi, Albert Adomah, Jack Grealish and Yannick Bolasie (on loan from Everton) – have made a flying start to the campaign, leaving the strikers to carry the entire goalscoring burden.

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And bringing in Watkins in January would certainly help Smith and Villa address that issue. The Englishman is versatile enough to play anywhere in the attack and has what it takes to make an instant impact at Villa Park.