Loans From Juventus?

David O’Leary has been told that there will be no new signings in the transfer window and the FA have confirmed that he already has his quota of loan players as Villa have Eirik Bakke from Leeds and James Milner from Newcastle. So now, according to the latest reports, he has started to cast his loan net slightly wider as he would be permitted to bring in a loan player from abroad.

Reports have been ‘strongly linked’ (as opposed to what, being weakly linked?) Villa to Juventus centre back Igor Tudor.

The 27 year old defender has been on loan at Serie A side Siena this season but is now being linked to a move to the Premiership with either Villa or West Brom.

O’Leary has been quoted as saying it ‘would not take a rocket scientist’ to realise the squad is in need of another central defender. Villa have struggled to fill the void left by long term injury victim Martin Laursen. Liam Ridgewell took the role for much of the season although he has recently lost his place to Mark Delaney who has moved in from the right back position. At one stage Villa were also without club captain Olof Mellberg and Hercules, the team mascot, was being tipped for a place in the starting eleven.