It has been no secret that Aston Villa are looking to bring in a goalkeeper during the January transfer window following a serious knee injury to first choice stopper Tom Heaton, at the end of 2019. According to some outlets it seems as though Villa have now turned their attention towards former Liverpool man Pepe Reina.
The former Spanish international has spent the past five years plying his trade over in Italy, mostly as Napoli’s first choice man, however following his move to AC Milan at the beginning of the 2018/19 season he has spent far more time on the bench than on the pitch. This isn’t awfully surprising given that Milan find themselves with one of the more talented young goalkeepers in the world between their sticks, Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Aston Villa solidify between the sticks
For Reina this move would give him the chance to make his return to the best league in the world and find himself, for the time being at least, as a first team regular for the majority of 2020, with Tom Heaton tearing his ACL against Burnley – one of the worst injuries a player can suffer.
This isn’t the first time that Reina has been linked with a move back to the Premier League in recent years, the Spanish stopper was a target for Newcastle United while they were still under the control of his former Napoli boss, Rafa Benitez.
With that being the case there is a fair amount of confidence that Reina should be able to arrive at Villa and still perform an admirable job. He may not be the same goalkeeper he once was, but he can still bring more than enough to try and help keep the club in the Premier League.
Villa have also been linked with a move for forgotten man Joe Hart, currently sitting on the bench at Burnley following the returns of Tom Heaton and Nick Pope for the club midway through last season. A man who has struggled to find his form since being ousted from Manchester City upon the arrival of Pep Guardiola.
Who would you rather have? Hart or Reina? Let us know in the comments section.
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