Aston Villa have been linked with a surprise move for former England defender Steven Caulker.

The 6ft 3in centre back is currently a free agent, having left Scottish side Dundee in the summer.

He's been heavily linked with a move to the Ukraine, but it now appears as though he's been thrown a lifeline with Steve Bruce's side.

Villa have suffered recently through not having two recognised centre backs in their squad. Mile Jedinak has partnered James Chester, but it has left them susceptible to leaking goals. The defence lacks balance and a new dedicated centre back is a priority for Villa.

Caulker threatened to have a wonderful career, breaking through at Spurs before securing an £8m move to Cardiff City. He impressed for the Bluebirds, but everything unravelled when he switched to QPR.

He later revealed his personal battles with gambling and depression, dropping out of the game for a year to recover before reappearing north of the border. His Dundee spell has been a success and at 26-years old he's looking for another chance in the game.

Could he be a success at Villa? If he was, who would be the biggest winner, and who the biggest loser? FLW looks closer at the situation.

Despite being played out of position, Jedinak would be the biggest loser. Whether he's playing out of position or not will be largely irrelevant to him, he's playing.

If Caulker signs, Jedinak would likely drop to the bench. Whilst he's filled in at the back, the rest of the side has taken shape nicely and he's unlikely to be assured a start in the midfield.

Conor Hourihane is fighting for a place and John McGinn is a permanent fixture. Birkir Bjarnson is also likely to be in contention, meaning Jedinak's guaranteed start will be a thing of the past.

Steve Bruce would be the biggest winner because finally his side would have some balance at the back.

If he gets a Steven Caulker in form, one akin to the Cardiff City version, he'll be laughing. Chester and Caulker could, in theory, be as good as any pairing in this division.

He has been linked with Robert Huth and John Terry, two names from the past with deteriorating pace, but Caulker is different. He's still young, athletic and potentially exciting.

After an awful summer where the Villa defence was weakened rather than strengthened, the under-fire manager needs a boost and this might just be enough to keep him in a job, for now.