Aston Villa signing this 6ft 4in experienced giant would be a major boost in their promotion chase

Why Aston Villa should ditch James Collins for Younes Kaboul

According to the Mirror, Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has stated that James Collins might still have a future at Villa Park after tearing his £50,000 contract.

The 35-year-old centre-back, who is currently without a club after being released by West Ham at the end of last season, has been training with his former club Aston Villa for a few weeks and was offered a £10,000-a-week contract for five weeks to add more cover at the back.

However, the defender injured himself in training and physically tore up his contract papers out of sheer frustration just an hour after signing it (h/t Mirror).

On the other hand, BBC Sports have confirmed that Watford have terminated the contract of former French international defender Younes Kaboul on mutual consent.

The 32-year-old Frenchman last played for Watford in September 2017 and was excluded from the Premier League squad by manager Javi Gracia.

Kaboul made his move to the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur back in 2007 from Ligue 1 club Auxerre and joined Portsmouth in 2008 before returning to Spurs for a second spell from 2010 to 2015 and played for Sunderland in 2015/16.

Kaboul has been one of the high profile bench warmers in the Premier League this season. To be honest, it is a pity to see a player of his calibre constantly sitting on the sidelines and not playing a part.

The 32-year-old, who has 5 caps for France, is a centre-back who is known for his strength and aerial ability. Standing at 6ft 4in with a massive frame, Kaboul is capable of dominating the opposition with his physicality.

A good reader of the game in the air, Kaboul’s height advantage coupled with his ability time his jump to perfection makes him a potent aerial threat. To add to that, he is a good tackler who is never afraid to stick his foot out when required.

Kaboul averaged 1.6 tackles, 2.1 interceptions, 2.8 successful aerial duels and 5.6 clearances per game in the 2016/17 season of the Premier League, figures which show that he still has a lot to offer at the highest level.

Furthermore, the Frenchman has the experience of playing in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League for Tottenham, which can prove to be a valuable asset to a promotion-chasing side like Aston Villa.

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On the contrary, James Collins is at the twilight of his career and offering him a short-term deal would only be a temporary solution to the club’s conundrum at the back. Moreover, it remains to be seen whether or not he can regain match fitness after suffering an injury.

That said, Aston Villa should forget about old friendships and make a move for Younes Kaboul in January to strengthen their defensive options.