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It may not be a done deal, or potentially anywhere near it, but Aston Villa have been tipped to land Rico Henry in the January market, with the Birmingham Mail claiming the Lions are interested in the move.
The Brentford defender has played under the guidance of Dean Smith throughout his senior career, and made his professional debut at the age of 17 under the current-Villa boss when the pair were at Walsall together back in 2015.
Henry then followed Smith to Griffin Park after 18 months in the Saddlers first-team, and could be set for a repeat with the Villa boss identifying his former star as someone who can reinforce his squad.
Should the deal go through, however, there are a hoard of potential consequences for Villa and those already on the roster. Football FanCast ponder them below…
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Centre-backs take more of the brunt
Due to how Smith likes his full-backs to push up the field, the centre-backs are already overloaded with defensive responsibilities, and the stress load would only grow with Henry in the side.
The 21-year-old may have demonstrated excellent defensive skills at times, but he has also shown how much he likes to join attacks, to the extent that he’s probably more suited to playing as a wing-back than a traditional No.3. Aston Villa have conceded the fourth-most goals of any Championship side this season, and adding Henry to the mix will probably make them even more open.
Neil Taylor’s dreams shattered
Smith may be looking to strengthen his side with an eye on clinching promotion back to the Premier League, but Henry’s arrival could have cataclysmic effects on the desires of Neil Taylor.
Taylor has been Smith’s go-to guy at left-back when fit, and spoke back in October about his desires to earn another call-up to the Wales squad, having been overlooked by Ryan Giggs for the penultimate and final squads of 2018.
The 29-year-old has also consistently delivered at Villa Park, but would be under significant pressure to retain his starting spot should Smith land a player he has adored throughout his career.
Mounting injury concerns
As noted, Taylor has been Villa’s go-to left-back when fit, but the Welshman has continually suffered from injuries this season, which is likely a key part of the reason why Smith is searching for further options in the transfer market.
Whenever he has been sidelined and kept out of action, it has forced his manager to tie one hand behind his back and field right-back Alan Hutton on the left – something Smith or formerly Steve Bruce have been forced into on 14 occasions this season.
Unfortunately, though, Henry has a horrific injury record despite only being 21-years-old, and has missed more than 600 days, totalling 117 matches.
The worst of his blows has come during his Brentford days, when a collision led to 14 months out after surgery, only returning in November.
Henry has since featured eight times, and played the full 90 minutes on six occasions.
