Before the start of the season, Aston Villa were touted by some as one of the favourites for promotion as they prepared for their first ever season outside the Premier League.

However, the Championship has proved to be much tougher than many expected.

The Villains, under the guidance of former Birmingham City boss Steve Bruce, currently find themselves lying in 12th place after picking up just 8 wins from 25 games.

Bruce can currently boast a 50% win rate since taking over from the under-performing Roberto di Matteo at Villa Park and he will no doubt be targeting a late push into the Championship play off places.

January looks like it could be a very important month for the club with many ins and outs expected as Bruce looks to place his own personal stamp on this squad that he has inherited.

This article is going to take a look at three loan signings that Bruce could potentially bring in from the top flight to bolster his squad for the second half of The Championship season...

Joe Gomez

Former Charlton man Joe Gomez is still working his way back to full fitness after suffering a serious injury last campaign and will most likely be open to a January loan move away from Anfield to regain full match fitness.

Gomez is a very calm, composed and confident defender and would no doubt be a very welcome addition to the Aston Villa back line.

The youngman is adept in either the full back position or as a centre back and looks like he will be a very big player for giants Liverpool in the years to come.

The 19-year-old is also very highly rated at international level and has been capped at under-16, 17, 18, 19 and 21 level by the England national team.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

One ambitious bid that Aston Villa could make this January is to try and secure Chelsea hot prospect Ruben Loftus-Cheek on a loan deal.

Despite being just 20-years-old, Loftus-Cheek has already made over 20 appearances for the English giants, netting twice in that time, and he is clearly someone who is rated very highly by all the coaching staff down at Stamford Bridge.

As well as being on the fringes of the Chelsea first team, he is also a regular for the England under-21 team, for whom he has been capped 13 times, scoring a respectable 5 goals in the process.

Since the arrival of Antonio Conte at the club, the 20-year-old midfield man has found his chances few and far between and has only managed 3 senior appearances so far this season so he may be open to a loan move in the upcoming January transfer window.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles

One player that The Villains should definitely take a look into taking on loan is the midfield man Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

19-year-old midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles is rated very highly by all down at the Emirates Stadium, and has already played 6 times for the club’s senior team, with 2 of those appearances coming in the Premier League.

He was not fazed by the physical, fast-paced nature of the Championship and impressed many onlookers with his performances.

Maitland-Niles plays predominantly as a winger but can also play in the centre of midfield as well as in a number 10 role behind the striker.

 

Aston Villa fans - would you take any of these 3 players on loan? What can they offer the club? Let us know in the comments below...