Deadline Day: Tyrone Mings joins Aston Villa from Bournemouth

Bournemouth giant Tyrone Mings has joined Dean Smith’s squad on an initial loan deal with a “matching option” until the end of the season. The 6’5″ defender can play both centre-back and left-back.

Dean Smith took an extra step in fortifying his defense on deadline day in the loan signing of centre-back/left-back Tyrone Mings. Mings, 25, was an £8 million signing for Bournemouth back in the summer of 2015.

Since then, however, he has had an indifferent career in England’s south coast. Injuries have hampered his development, such as when he tore a cruciate ligament just three months into his first Bournemouth season. He never really got it going thereafter, making just 22 appearances in four years.

For Mings, Aston Villa offers a respite and resuscitation of a once extremely promising career. The player turns 26 in March, but hopefully he can still reach that sky-high ceiling.

For Smith, Mings brings the added versatility of being able to play two positions in need of strengthening. Interestingly, though, he indicates Mings will more than likely play centre-back more:

So Aston Villa didn’t bring in a dedicated left-back to relieve Neil Taylor, but the club did bring in two young, left-footed defenders capable of playing left-back. Both he and Hause have options of sort at the expiry of their loan deals. As it’s worded, Aston Villa has the option to match any transfer offer for Tyrone Mings this summer.

That doesn’t sound like much to me, but if Mings performs, Villa will undoubtedly be interested in retaining the player – especially if it spends another year in the EFL Championship.

I can only imagine the damage Villa will do with Abraham, Chester and Mings attacking a Conor Hourihane set piece…