Steven Gerrard to sign two stars in January to address Aston Villa ‘imbalance’
Steven Gerrard will reportedly be backed to sign two players in the January transfer window as he looks to address an Aston Villa imbalance.
The Liverpool legend picked up three points in his first game in charge as Aston Villa beat Brighton 2-0. Late goals from Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings saw the West Midlands outfit triumph at home.
Villa’s next match is against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon. It will see Gerrard come up against former midfield foe Patrick Vieira, this time on the touchline.
Villa have been linked with plenty of players since the 41-year-old’s arrival, including Rangers stars Glen Kamara and Borna Barisic.
Football Insider now provide a new report which details just where Gerrard will strengthen this winter.
They write that he wants to improve the spine of the team, by bringing in a new centre-back and central defensive midfielder.
Gerrard has come to that conclusion after spending the last two weeks vigorously assessing his squad.
An insider claims the coach will be backed in January, and Villa are ready to put ‘big money’ on the table to meet his wishes.
Gerrard reckons his squad is suffering from an ‘imbalance’. They have two many wide players, according to the report, and are looking to move a couple on.
One star who will be allowed to leave is right winger Bertrand Traore. The 26-year-old, a Burkina Faso international, is seen as being surplus to requirements. Villa will listen to offers once the transfer window reopens and will be looking to recoup most of the £17m they paid for him last year.
Anwar El Ghazi could also leave Villa Park. The star, who is on three goals from nine appearances this campaign, has an admirer in Roma boss Jose Mourinho.
Smith hoping for reunion with Aston Villa man
Meanwhile, former Villa man Dean Smith, now Norwich City’s boss, is keen to reunite with striker Keinan Davis.
The manager believes he needs additional firepower if the Canaries are to avoid relegation. Davis is his ideal target, and may cost just £4m.
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The 23-year-old is behind Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings in the pecking order at Villa. His only league outing this season came in the 1-0 defeat to Southampton.
Davis has made 86 appearances for Villa in all competitions, registering six goals and seven assists.
READ MORE: Major Villa under Gerrard prediction from top pundit called into question
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