According to Sky Sports, Tommy Elphick is on the verge of leaving Aston Villa, with the defender looking set for a loan move across the Sky Bet Championship to Reading.
Elphick has been at Villa Park for 18 months now, and has seen his career suffer from a major slump, with the defender starting out as the club captain under Roberto Di Matteo before Steve Bruce’s appointment, which soon led to a first-team axe.
The 30-year-old has found his opportunities limited over the course of the last year, and this season, Bruce has used Elphick on just six occasions, with only four of those appearances coming in the Championship.
Villa have been looking to move their fringe players on this month, and with John Terry and James Chester firmly established as the centre-back pairing at Villa Park, Elphick will be on the move at a late stage of the transfer window.
Reading are set to swoop to sign Elphick on-loan until the end of the season, with Jaap Stam bolstering his defensive options, in a bid to turn the Royals’ fortune around.
Stam’s side have failed to impress during the first-half of the season, and should Elphick complete a move to the Madejski Stadium, he will be linking up with a side currently sitting 18th and just four points above the relegation zone.
The Verdict
Elphick doesn’t look like getting a chance at Villa Park, so from the defender’s point of view this week, he will want a move away.
Reading are struggling, and despite Elphick struggling for form over the last year, he is still a player that will improve Stam’s squad.
If the defender can rediscover the type of form he showed previously in his career, he could be a very astute addition at the Madejski Stadium.
Aston Villa and Reading fans… Let us know your thoughts!