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Aston Villa have missed a big trick by not signing this Championship star and they could regret this

Why missing out on Leroy Fer could come to haunt back Aston Villa

According to a report from Sky Sports, Aston Villa had made a late move to try and sign Swansea City midfielder Leroy Fer. But a move didn’t materialise and the midfielder stayed put at the Liberty Stadium.

Leroy Fer, 29, has been a key player for Swansea City this season, making 24 appearances in the Championship, scoring once and providing two assists. It would have been a massive blow for the Swans had they lost their skipper, especially to one of their divisional rivals.

Instead, Aston Villa failing to land the Dutch midfielder would come as a big disappointment for Dean Smith and company. Aston Villa currently sit tenth in the Championship with 29 matches played but are still just four points behind Derby County who occupy the final play-off spot.

Dean Smith

Dean Smith was keen to improve his squad in the January transfer window and brought in four new players in the form of goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic, midfielder Tom Carroll and centre-backs Kortney Hause and Tyrone Mings.

The acquisition of Leroy Fer would have been an enormous boost to Aston Villa’s promotion hopes as well but the deal’s collapse at the eleventh hour will not have gone down well for the Midlands club.

Aston Villa signed John McGinn last summer and while he is a creative player who can cut open defences with one incisive pass, the Scotsman is not renowned for doing the donkey work in the midfield. Tom Carroll would give Villa’s midfield a lot of energy and industry but just like McGinn, he is an attack-minded player.

Villa’s defence clearly needs more protection and that’s why missing out on Leroy Fer would massively hurt Dean Smith. In Fer, Smith would have got a player that would have contribute defensively as well as offensively.

Leroy Fer

The Dutchman is a good dribbler of the ball, excellent in tackling and distribution, and has a peach of a right foot. The former QPR man’s addition would have solved Villa’s midfield conundrum, while the dressing room would have also got an influential figure to help the club moving forward.

Read more: Aston Villa’s season would move in the right direction if they sign this Watford outcast quickly

As a player with volumes of experience in English football, Aston Villa have missed a real coup in Fer.