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Aston Villa signing this 33-year-old experienced shot-stopper for £7m would strengthen their defence like no other

Aston Villa Opinion: Why should the Lions sign Tom Heaton?

According to a report from The Sun, Aston Villa are interested in Burnley shot-stopper Tom Heaton, as the newly-promoted Villans have submitted a £7million bid (h/t The Sun ).

The 33-year-old, who wants to prolong his stay at Turf Moor, has rejected the Clarets’ initial offer, which he found unsatisfactory (h/t The Sun). His contract is due to expire at the end of next season.

Heaton –  a player with quality and experience.

The English keeper has been an integral part of the Clarets since joining them in 2013, playing around 200 games. In addition, he played a key role behind the Clarets’ Championship win in 2015. Since then, they have managed to survive in the Premier League.

Heaton, despite suffering a major injury prior to the 2018/19 campaign, left no stone unturned to brush off the relegation and was successful in the end.

And his set of impressive displays in the latter half of the season helped him earn a call–up for the Three Lions senior team, which finished third in the Nations League.

Tom Heaton

Villa need to find a perfect cover for Jed Steer

Jed Steer was completely a surprise package for Dean Smith’s side in the pursuit of promotion the last term. The 26-year-old, who was on loan with Charlton Atheltic, was called to provide cover for Kalinic.

Surprisingly, Steer got the chance to be the Villans’ No. 1 in the latter half of the season and he didn’t disappoint as he pulled off some incredible displays, helping Smith’s side eventually win the Championship crown.

As a result, the Lions renewed his contract until 2023 and he is expected to be the starter for the forthcoming season.

Given that Croatian keeper Kalinic has failed to live up to expectations and that Orjan Nyland is yet to recover from his injury, the Lions need a perfect keeper as a back-up and Heaton looks like a great solution.

Heaton, despite being in his 30s, has never looked out of sorts for the Clarets.

Though he featured only in the final phase of the Premier League the last term, the ex-Manchester United keeper managed to keep 4 clean sheets in 19 appearances – a pretty impressive stat when compared to David De Gea, who kept only 7 clean sheets in 38 appearances.

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Furthermore, Heaton brings plenty of experience to the table as he has played more than 300 games in his career thus far.

Final Verdict

 The Villans are most likely to hold on to Steer as the No.1 because of the red-hot form he is in. Adding Heaton to the squad would help them reinforce their defence in the coming season.