Why Aston Villa should make a move for Terence Kongolo in January

Aston Villa’s start to the Premier League season has begun with back-to-back defeats.

They started the campaign against last season’s Champions League finalist Tottenham, where for the best part of an hour, they looked a solid unit that could have potentially caused the upset of the opening weekend. But the cream finally came on the top as Tottenham scored thrice in the second half.

On Saturday, the Villans faced their first home game since returning to the top-flight and that ended in defeat at the hands of Bournemouth.

While it is no reason for concern just yet, they will be anxious to get on the board with a win at the weekend. But lessons simply have to be learned, and quickly, if Dean Smith and co. are to stand any chance of surviving this season.

Individual errors have been punished in the opening two games and it’s vital they are ironed out. Smith signed 12 players during the summer transfer window, which included central defenders Tyrone Mings, Bjorn Engels, Kortney Hause and Ezri Konsa.

With James Chester and Hause both being out since pre-season, Smith has gone with Engels and Mings in the opening two games. Engels and Mings seem to be building a decent partnership at the back but as things stand, Villa have conceded five goals in two league games.

Back in July, a report from the Examiner Live had claimed that Aston Villa were interested in signing Huddersfield Town defender Terence Kongolo. While a deal didn’t materialise then, Smith must rekindle his interest in the defender and sign him up during the January transfer window.

Terence Kongolo, 25, initially joined Huddersfield on loan from Monaco in January 2018 before making the move permanent last summer. He became a regular under both David Wagner and Jan Siewert at the John Smith’s Stadium last season, making 32 appearances in the Terriers’ relegation campaign.

The Dutchman may have started the Championship season well but Huddersfield’s dismal show in the opening three games has cost Jan Siewert his job.

He was one of the Terriers’ rare bright sparks in an otherwise forgettable Premier League campaign and now that the club has sacked Siewert, the 25-year-old is stuck in the Championship relegation zone at a managerless Huddersfield.

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Kongolo needs to play at the highest level if he is to keep his place in Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands team. That could see him being tempted to leave Huddersfield and join Aston Villa if they come up with an offer in January.

Verdict

Despite reinforcing the backline over the summer, Villa’s problems persist. And if Smith wants to stand any chance of surviving this season, he’ll need to splash the cash to sign Terence Kongolo in the New Year.