Why Aston Villa must make a move for Dmitri Shomko in January
Aston Villa’s promotion hopes took another big blow as they lost 3-0 to Wigan Athletic on Saturday. It was a performance to forget for the Villans and Dean Smith would have been disappointed, particularly because it was against a Wigan side that earned just its second win since October.
Dean Smith’s Aston Villa were second-best throughout as they extended a frustrating run of just one win in seven Championship matches, blowing a big chance to close in on the top six.
The 3-0 defeat at Wigan once again showed why Villa’s defence needs heavy reinforcing. Kortney Hause has joined from Wolverhampton Wanderers but the Villans surely need more than that in the January transfer window.
Neil Taylor has been very poor this season, with the left-back failing to find any favours with his performance against Wigan. The Welshman royally struggled against the likes of Reece James and Anthony Pilkington down the flank throughout the afternoon.
Taylor’s performance on Friday clearly proved that he is not a man that Dean Smith can depend on anymore. Alan Hutton has underwhelmed at left-back and as he is out of contract at the end of the season, Smith clearly needs a plan to solve his left-back conundrum this month. So where should Smith go from here on?
Well, the Aston Villa manager would do a good job to sign FC Astana left-back Dmitri Shomko. Dmitri Shomko, 28, has spent his entire career in Kazakhstan so far, starting out with FC Batyr Ekibastuz in 2006. He joined Astana in 2014 from Irtysh and has been a mainstay in the team since then.
Dean Smith should consider a long-term solution to the club’s left-back woes and Dmitri Shomko fits the bill perfectly at the Villa Park. A modern attack-minded full-back blessed with the versatility of being able to play on the left wing and in defensive midfield, the 28-year-old likes to operate with a lot of pace, intensity and energy.
While he is a good crosser of the ball from the wide areas, Dmitri Shomko also likes to link up the play and sets up his teammates with incisive passes. The Kazakhstan international is also good when it comes to defending as he possesses the agility and pace to make recovery runs to cut out the attacks.
Shomko’s attacking prowess and defensive diligence would make him a valuable asset to the Villa backline. The 28-year-old, however, has never played in England before, which would make his signing a pure gamble for Smith.
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But given his Champions League as well as international experience, Smith should take the punt on Shomko and do everything possible to land him this month.