Aston Villa‘s spending in the 2019 summer transfer window has taken many by surprise as they have signed 10 players, spending in excess of £100 million, and the spending is set to continue as they are closing in on the signing of Tom Heaton from Burnley.
Heaton is the current Burnley captain, and joined the club back in 2013 when he helped the club to get promoted to the Premier League.
A report in the Telegraph states that Burnley have accepted a bid of around £8 million for the experienced goalkeeper, and that a medical will take place in the next two days.
Tom Heaton – Profile
Heaton, who came through the Manchester United youth academy, played for Cardiff City and Bristol City before his move to Burnley in 2013.
The Englishman has made 200 appearances for the club, and has been a dependable player at the back for Sean Dyche’s men, helping the club to two Premier League promotions.
Heaton has also played for England on three occasions since making his debut in 2016.
Good move by the Lions?
Villa have made wholesale changes to their squad, signing 10 players, and that number could increase before the start of the season, as they have been linked with a move for Zimbabwean Marvelous Nakamba recently, and are close to a deal to sign Heaton.
Heaton is an experienced goalkeeper who is known to be a good shot-stopper and is technically very good as well. In the 2018-19 season, Heaton made an average of 3.1 saves per game, making 19 appearances in the Premier League.
The 33-year-old will be a good signing for Villa which might have a new-look central defensive partnership as well.
A leader and experienced figure like Heaton could be of great value to the centre-backs, as he is pretty vocal and is good at organising his defence, especially in set-pieces.
The English goalkeeper is not only a good shot-stopper but has good distribution with his long balls up forward, which could be of use if manager Dean Smith decides to play direct football.
Despite being 33 years of age, Heaton still has quite a few years remaining in the Premier League, and at £8 million, he would be a good signing for the Lions.
