Why Aston Villa must consider signing Reece Oxford on loan in January
Aston Villa boss Dean Smith is starting to find his feet at Villa Park and seems to be the man to take the club back to the Premier League.
The Villans moved to within four points of the play-off positions with a fantastic 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough at the Riverside which sent a huge statement of intent to all their promotion rivals.
However, it wasn’t an easy start for Dean Smith at Aston Villa—he endured mixed fortunes in the opening month as the manager of the club, but wins over Derby County, Birmingham City and Middlesbrough, the mood at Villa Park has drastically changed.
There is real cause for optimism amongst the Villa faithful after the club’s upturn in fortunes of late under Smith. And considering the players Smith inherited following Steve Bruce’s sacking, the 51-year-old deserves huge credit for transforming Villa and making the fans excited once again.
The whole atmosphere around the club has improved, which speaks a lot about Smith’s phenomenal work in such a short space of time.
But to really put up a promotion challenge, Smith needs to bring in at least a couple of new faces in January.
The January transfer market is difficult for clubs to sign players and hence, Villa must use the loan market wisely and make some exciting signings. And the Midlands club would be wise to make a loan move for West Ham starlet Reece Oxford.
Reece Oxford became the Premier League’s youngest ever player when he made his debut for the West Ham in 2015 at the age of 16. Since then though, he has failed to nail down a place in the West Ham starting XI and has spent time on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach and Reading.
The 19-year-old’s fall from grace has been incredible and unlike any young star we have come across.
Reece Oxford has not played for the Hammers this season and is training with their U23s side. And as per a report from Sky Sports, the teenager has admitted he’ll have to leave West Ham if he’s not given any first-team opportunities this season.
Aston Villa should offer Reece Oxford an escape route from West Ham hell. The 19-year-old is a central defender but can also play as a defensive midfielder, meaning he could add some valuable cover to both areas of the pitch for Smith’s Villa side. At a tender age, Oxford has shown extreme maturity in the games he played for West Ham in the past, excelling with his composure on the ball and tacking traits.
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At Aston Villa, Oxford is likely to get plenty of time that he needs for unlocking his top potential. The teenager’s career has stalled somewhat in the last couple of years but he still has plenty of time to start afresh. And a January move to Villa to work under Smith would be ideal for all the parties involved.