Eliaquim Mangala could be Aston Villa’s centre-back solution

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Aston Villa clearly have a problem in the centre-back positions. After John Terry and Chris Samba left in the summer, Steve Bruce did little to replace either. Instead, he backed Mile Jedinak to transform into a defender. The Australian was not popular with the fans in that newfound role.

In January the club needs to bring in a new centre-back if they are to have any realistic chance of challenging for the playoffs. There just so happens to be a Premier League defender that, on paper, Aston Villa could easily bring in.

Eliaquim Mangala may have a sketchy record with English football fans but he must have something. Manchester City paid £32 million to bring the French international to the club from Porto in 2014. After initially being a regular with the club he soon found first-team opportunities limited under Pep Guardiola. That led to loan spells at Valencia and Everton.

The man who put the deal together at Valencia was Jesus Garcia Pitarch. He was sporting director at Valencia at the time and is now in the same role at Aston Villa.

His good relationship with Jorge Mendes saw Mangala arrive at Valencia. The Portuguese ‘superagent’ represents the Frenchman.

So could Mangala be an option?

It is hard to see why not. The Frenchman returned to training after a knee injury in October and should be back to full fitness by January. Last year he headed to Everton, with Sky Sports suggesting no loan fee had to be paid for the player. City are just happy to get the outcast’s wages off the bill for six months.

Mangala may not be a popular option but in the Championship he might be a perfect option to strengthen the Aston Villa defence. With his contract expiring in the summer, it could even lead to a permanent free transfer possibility.

Mangala is a gamble that Aston Villa could and perhaps should go for.