Why Jesse Joronen would be a good fit at Aston Villa

As per Corriere Della Sera (h/t Birmingham Mail), Aston Villa have targeted 27-year-old Brescia star Jesse Joronen in a bid to bolster their goalkeeping department.

The report suggests that Dean Smith is in search of a new goalkeeper and Joronen has come up on the radars of Villa. It also claims that Brescia’s owner has started negotiations for the player with the Villa. However, they could face competition to secure his services as West Ham and Watford are also in the battle to sign the Finnish international, as per MSN.

Profile

Born in Finland, Joronen started his journey with Simpeleen Urheilijat before joining Fulham’s youth academy in 2009. However, he could make just 7 appearances for the Cottagers and spent the majority of his career on loan spells in the lower English Leagues.

In the summer of 2017, he joined AC Horsens and helped them lift the Danish League title in 2018/19. He then moved to Brescia last summer and became an integral member of the squad, featuring in 30 games across all competitions for the Italian outfit.

Joronen could add depth to Villa’s goalkeeping department

At the moment, Villa have four shot-stoppers in their ranks. Pepe Reina, who was the first-choice last season, moved away once his loan spell came to an end last month. Tom Heaton has struggled with a knee injury and is out of action, as per the report.

This leaves Villa with Lovre Kalinic, Jed Steer, and Orjan Nyland in the goalkeeping department. However, none of them has been impressive so far. Thus, signing a shot-stopper is a must this summer and Joronen would be a viable option for the club.

The Finnish international was a regular member of Brescia’s squad last season. Though he conceded 59 goals in the league last season, he has been in good form. He could do well with a proper defensive line in front of him.

His inclusion would definitely bring healthy competition to the squad, whilst also adding some much-needed depth to the goalkeeping department. Joronen already has some experience in English football and that could help him settle to the conditions of the Premier League.

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Verdict

With Reina leaving the club and Heaton on the sidelines, it is clear that Villa lack quality in their goalkeeping department. And Joronen could be a boost to the squad if he is able to continue with the good form.

Though the Villans are very close to completing the signing of Arsenal star Emiliano Martinez, a move for Joronen would still be a good choice as it would completely freshen up their goalkeeping options.