Reading Again Linked With Aston Villa Midfielder

Jaap Stam’s been open in stating his wish to add another couple to the squad before the transfer deadline and one of those names might just be Aston Villa’s Leandro Bacuna.

The Birmingham Mail are reporting that Reading are back in for the Dutch midfielder, just weeks after the club had reportedly ended their interest according to Get Reading.

The latest fuel to the fire comes from Villa boss Steve Bruce, who left Bacuna out of his squad for last night’s win over Colchester in the Carabao Cup. Bruce confirmed to the media after the game that there was interest from a Championship club but wouldn’t say what level of talks the deal was at. Previous reports had indicated we were bidding around the £1m mark.

Bacuna would bring versatility to the squad as well as plenty of experience of the English game. He’s made over 100 appearances for Villa in the Premier League and Championship, although his scoring record is nothing to write home about, with just two goals in his last three campaigns.

For a bit more on what he might bring to the squad, check out the original scouting report our SB Nation chums at 7500 to Holte did on him a few years back, while for a more recent outlook, here’s what Claretvillans.com had to say on his performances last season. The key takeaways from the later are his versatility, where Bacuna filled in seven different positions last season, and the below.

“Leandro Bacuna forever confounds me as footballer. He’s quite skilled in many facets of the game, but it rarely shows on match day. At his best, Bacuna is a highly athletic midfielder – capable of filling a box-to-box role. Furthermore, he’s a skilled crosser of the ball and has shown the ability to strike set pieces in the past. His defensive technique, while not great, is also neither a huge liability when thrust into a fullback role. “

Given our current injury woes this does seem like a smart signing, providing we don’t break the bank. The one problem with versatile players is that sometimes they never actually nail down a regular spot. You only need to look at Joey van den Berg for a good example of that, or in more distant times, the likes of Andy Hughes or Ricky Newman. These players have a big role to play but do they make the first team on its best days stronger? That remains to be seen.

Regardless, we’ll have more on this as it develops here on The Tilehurst End.