Aston Villa opinion: Should the Villans sign Jack Butland?

Aston Villa are set to launch a £20million bid for Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland. The 26-year-old was on the radar of Bournemouth and Crystal Palace before they failed to meet the price tag of £23million.

Now, Dean Smith is ready to lure the English international away from the Championship as he looks for the reinforcements.

Butland really thrived for chances in his initial years at Bet365 stadium as he was loaned to Barnsley, Derby County and Leeds United. 

He has made significant progress in recent years and emerged as one of the best shot-stoppers of Championship. In fact, Butland has kept 18 clean sheets in the recently concluded season, which is the third highest of the competition.

Should Villa consider a move for Butland?

The Lions could have ended the season on a high note by getting promoted to England’s top flight next season, but they can’t deny the lacklustre form they underwent in the middle of the season.

One of the biggest loopholes during that phase was Lovre Kalinic, Villa’s new signing from Gent. And the Croatian clearly failed to live up to his expectations owing to the recurrent injury issues. 

At the same time, his back-up Orjan Nyland dealt with a major injury blow, forcing the Lions to call back their loanee Jed Steer from Charlotte Athletic.

Surprisingly, Steer turned to be their biggest coup in the final stages of the competition, making a string of brilliant displays. The 26-year-old also played a great part behind Villan’s 10 matche-winning streak and his heroics in the Play-offs semi-final against West Bromwich Albion will be remembered for good. 

With Steer’s contract set to expire at the end of next season, Butland would be the righteous option who can help the Lions sustain their place in Premier League.

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Furthermore, Butland carries enough Premier League experience, which the Lions can highly benefit from.

Conclusion

The Lions are expected to be active in the current transfer window as they are preparing for an exciting Premier League campaign. Given that, they should consider the signing of a competitive keeper and Butland has to be their priority.