‘I can see some logic’ – Aston Villa emerge interested in Blackburn Rovers player: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Aston Villa are considering a January move for Blackburn Rovers defender Darragh Lenihan, as per a report from TEAMtalk.

The report credits the Villains, as well as Everton, Leeds United, Newcastle United and Wolves, with interest in the 27-year-old.

Lenihan has been an integral figure for Tony Mowbray’s side during their promotion push this season, providing defensive solidarity and proving to be an excellent leader once more.

Quiz: Did any of these 25 ex-Blackburn Rovers players ever get a red card during their time at the club?

1 of 25

David Dunn

Yes No

The Irishman has 26 Championship appearances to his name this campaign, taking his total number of games at Blackburn to 237.

Three of our writers here at FLW have shared their thoughts regarding Villa’s interest in the central defender…

George Dagless

I can see some logic in this one.

Lenihan is a very handy defender and it is a little bit of a surprise he has perhaps not had a real shot in the Premier League before.

He’s been a reliable presence over the years for Blackburn Rovers and helped them get back to where they are now, with them potentially going to achieve a top flight return with him in the side.

Of course, I think it would be tough to say he’d walk straight into the Villa side but he would provide good competition for a spot in their defence and he brings great experience and good quality for what would be a real snip.

His contract is up in the summer and that what makes him an attractive proposition, so I think he could be a good addition to a lot of squads this summer.

Alfie Burns

When you look through the Villa squad, it’s on the cusp of looking like one ready to challenge for Europe.

Perhaps the only area in-need of a little bit of TLC is the centre-back positions.

Whether Lenihan is a player to take Steve Gerrard’s side to that next level, I’m not 100% sure.

It looks to me like they’d be searching for some sort of ‘starter’ to potentially push Tyrone Mings down the pecking order.

Lenihan is good, but I’m not convinced he’s an upgrade on Mings, which is probably what Villa really need.

That said, if he’s free, it’s not really much of a risk and he pads out Villa’s squad at a time when they are looking to challenge.

Depth, then, is pretty crucial.

Chris Thorpe

This would be a very unexpected move from Villa but at the same time it shows that they are looking further afield than just the top level.

Lenihan is one of the best centre backs in the Championship by far and could arguably play higher.

However with Blackburn chasing promotion, I do doubt that he would be open to leaving at this stage of the campaign.

Maybe a summer move would be more feasible for him once he can assess his options.