Aston Villa Tracking German Defensive Ace: The Perfect Replacement For Terry?

According to a recent report by Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa are leading the queue to make Robert Huth sign on the dotted line this summer. Steve Bruce is keen to strengthen his back line and has put Huth on his radar. Apart from the Villans, Derby County are also pursuing the centre-back who was recently released by Leicester City.

Aston Villa came agonisingly close to promotion last season and there is no denying that they looked really good under the tutelage of Bruce. However, they couldn’t bag an automatic promotion spot and were defeated by Fulham in the play-offs final, which extinguished their hopes of plying their trade in the top flight. However, they need to come back stronger in the 2018-19 campaign.

John Terry was one of the best players last season for the Lions but the former Chelsea skipper decided against another rigorous season of a promotion push. Terry did provide a lot of resilience at the back alongside James Chester. Meanwhile, Chester is also on the radar of some Premier League outfits and thus, Aston Villa do need to bring in reinforcements to beef up their defensive arsenal.

Their apparent interest to sign Huth makes a lot of sense, for he is a player who has volumes of experience under his belt. Having started his senior career with Chelsea, he won two Premier League titles with them before moving to Middlesbrough and then to Stoke City. He joined Leicester City in the January transfer window of 2015, initially on loan, before signing permanently for them in the summer of 2015.

His displays meant he became one of the most crucial players for the Foxes and helped them in clinching the 2015-16 Premier League title in what was a fairytale season for the club. However, he failed to play a single league game for Leicester City last season owing to his recurring foot injury which kept him sidelined. He hasn’t played a first-team game in 14 months and signing him would involve a considerable amount of risk.

However, he might still have a couple of seasons left in him if he manages to stay away from the treatment table. He is a quality centre-back and his experience is the key. He has lost pace over the course of his career but he has the know-how to organize the defence. With Terry no longer available in the ranks of Aston Villa, he could be that leader-like figure in the dressing room and could be a handy asset on the pitch for Bruce if a deal is indeed thrashed out between the two.