Deadline Day: As Leroy Fer deal collapses, Aston Villa sign Tom Carroll on loan
By Josh Tonti
Swansea City midfielder Tom Carroll is an Aston Villa player. Swansea City midfielder Leroy Fer is not.
WTF?
A deadline day most Villa faithful won’t forget, ended with a plot twist. Leroy Fer, long assumed to be joining the club on a permanent transfer, has not joined. Swansea City Football Club pulled the deals for their captain Fer and Leeds’ deal with young winger Daniel James.
Seems that the same has happened with Leroy Fer from Swansea to Villa. Pulled the plug late on. Somebody at Swansea is refusing to let all this happen. #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) January 31, 2019
Leeds left fuming with Swansea over Dan James. All agreed and medical done but Welsh club then just ignored them until deadline passed. Huge blow for Leeds as they thought they had their top target.
— Graeme Bailey (@GraemeBailey) January 31, 2019
Instead, the claret and blues were left scrambling, but were able to sign 26-year-old midfielder Tom Carroll on loan. Apparently, with three minutes to spare…
Believe Carroll deal was completed three minutes before the deadline. #avfc
— matt maher (@mjmarr_star) January 31, 2019
We are delighted to announce the loan signing of Tom Carroll from Swansea City ✍️
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 31, 2019
The 26-year-old midfielder will link up with the claret and blues until the end of the season in a deal that also includes an option to buy.#DeadlineDay #AVFC pic.twitter.com/GKdH3I0pz4
So no Fer, but Carroll on loan instead. It’s possible the Aston Villa medical staff saw something they didn’t like in Fer’s reports.
Swansea obviously at the centre of some "interesting" moves today. But believe it was more #avfc backing out of the Leroy Fer deal, than a case of Swansea pulling the plug. Club were working on both Carroll and Fer deals at the same time.
— matt maher (@mjmarr_star) January 31, 2019
In any case, Carroll joins a midfield that’s currently hampered with injuries and poor form at the moment. Mile Jedinak recently returned after a long layoff, while Henri Lansbury and Jack Grealish nurse significant injuries. Joining Carroll in the engine room includes Glenn Whelan, Conor Hourihane, John McGinn, and Birkir Bjarnason.
When everyone is healthy, it’s difficult to see where the on loan Swansea player fits, but if he impresses in the coming weeks he could earn a permanent move via the option-to-buy. What Villa need is a No. 6, but Carroll really isn’t that type of player. The alternative includes Carroll playing an attacking midfield role while Conor Hourihane plays as a deep-lying playmaker until Grealish returns. His last match came in late October in a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers. Since then, he’s been recovering from hip and groin problems.
It would be a stretch for him to go 90 minutes against Reading this weekend, but he could make the matchday squad as a bench option.
Welcome, Tom!