Aston Villa chase marquee striker signing Charlie Austin but bolstering defence should be bigger priority

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Aston Villa are reportedly in the hunt to land Southampton striker Charlie Austin.

According to The Telegraph, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers are among the clubs ready to go head-to-head in the battle to sign Austin this week.

Austin is out of contract at the end of the season and will be allowed to leave this month.

In the long-term, Austin could be a shrewd signing, given his proven track record of scoring goals in the top two divisions.

But Dean Smith must direct his focus on bolstering the defence this week, rather than swooping for another striker.

Austin would be a coup if Aston Villa pulled it off but they already have Tammy Abraham on their books.

The on-loan Chelsea striker is the Championship’s top scorer with 19 goals and Smith would struggle to shoehorn Austin into his starting line-up.

But Abraham’s goals have been undone by some slack defending on several occasions this season, leaving the Villans in mid-table.

Even in yesterday’s 2-1 win over bottom club Ipswich Town, Aston Villa rode their luck at the end as Trevoh Chalobah hit the post.

Aston Villa have kept just six clean sheets in 29 games this season, conceding a mammoth total of 46 goals already. Only relegation-threatened duo Rotherham United and Ipswich have conceded more than Aston Villa.

This makes it clear that while Austin would be an impressive statement signing, he is not Aston Villa’s priority this month. Smith must use the next few days to sort out his defence instead.