Why Aston Villa should sign Frederic Guilbert from Caen
According to a report in Get French Football News, Championship side Aston Villa have made an approach to sign Caen full-back Frederic Guilbert. The current suggestion is that the French side haven’t responded to the contacts made, and are not interested in negotiations.
However, if the player is tempted with an attractive offer, you never know. The situation could go out of hands of the club.
Despite signing Lovre Kalinic and Kortney Hause, in addition to recalling Tommy Elphick halfway through his loan spell at Hull City, Dean Smith’s men are looking to get more signings during this transfer window.
The defence has been Villa’s problem this season, and the manager needs to get the reinforcements and make a push for an unlikely top six finish.
Here’s why they should sign Guilbert soon, and more importantly, before any other potential competitor:
Aston Villa badly need quality at the back
Predominantly a right-back, Frederic Guilbert can play as a centre-back or as a left-back. For a 24-year-old, he has the experience of a matured footballer, having already played over 100 games in the French top division.
The Frenchman is famous and highly-rated in his home country, especially in the eyes of the Caen supporters. He has featured in 19 of the 21 league games played by the club this season so far and it is safe to say that the contribution has been immense from the player.
Guilbert is an excellent reader of the game that enables him to make tackles and interceptions at a high rate, be it at centre-back or at full-back. This campaign, he possesses a tackle and interception rate of 3.3 and 2.6 per game.
His average of 2.9 aerial duels means he is comfortable when the ball is in the air. The Frenchman might not be the tallest defender when compared to centre-backs in general, but he has a good leap. (Stats – Whoscored.com)
The 24-year-old has played in all defensive positions for Caen this season, which just goes shows how useful a player he would be for Aston Villa if they manage to get him. The Birmingham-based club have had problems in the full-back department and Guilbert’s arrival could solve that issue.
His flexibility means Dean Smith can use him as a centre-back when the first-choice pair undergoes a rough patch. All in all, if Villa decide to spend money on getting the Frenchman, it will be worth it.