Aston Villa: Glenn Whelan adds steel, and age
By Josh Tonti
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce is confident in landing Stoke City midfielder Glenn Whelan. The claret and blue had a £500,000 bid rejected two weeks ago.
Glenn Whelan remains very much in play for Aston Villa Football Club.
Despite no movement since the rejected bid, Steve Bruce and company are fairly confident they’ll land a deal for the 33-year old defensive midfielder. With John Terry officially in the first-team picture, Aston Villa are preparing to get even older should Whelan arrive.
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Reports out of England suggest Stoke City wanted a full £1 million for the Ireland international, who spent eight seasons with The Potters. The arrival of Darren Fletcher pushed Whelan farther down the line, hence a potential sale.
Even so, Whelan still managed to appear in 30 Premier League matches last term – 26 of which were starts.
Glenn Whelan would add more firepower to the central midfield ranks. However, it’s his ability to fill-in for Mile Jedinak that makes him a valuable target. Jedinak turns 33 in August. His combination of age and long-distance international duty with Australia necessitates frequent time off in the Championship season. An addition of Glenn Whelan adds competition to the number six role – one that only Jedinak and the returning Jordan Lyden can handle.
His age would normally be an issue, but Whelan’s track record of 25+ Premier League appearances + consistent Ireland duty is a testament to his fitness. Whelan is just fine on a 1/2 year deal.
Any addition of another central midfielder could close the door on Jordan Veretout at Villa. Interestingly, Dr. Tony Xia had this to say Wednesday:
I heard his first training with squad was good. So maybe he can stay playing if we don't get enough amounts &JV doesn't refuse to play. https://t.co/wJVtBTVKf1
— Dr. Tony Xia (@Dr_TonyXia) July 5, 2017
Next: Aston Villa reach a deal for the sale of Amavi
Verdict:
Glenn Whelan won’t be a popular signing, but he’s just fine on a one-year deal + a club option. As long as Villa negotiate the price to £1 million or under, this seems a fairly decent value addition for someone who last year was a Premier League starter.