Aston Villa have been told that signing Oriol Romeu from Southampton in the January transfer window would be 'smart business'. 

Former Premier League hitman Kevin Phillips made the claim in an interview with Football Insider.

The lowdown

The Athletic's Gregg Evans reported last week that Romeu may be on a list of midfield options drawn up for Steven Gerrard by sporting director Johan Lange.

Villa apparently 'tracked' Romeu during the summer and it seems that their interest remains heading into the new year.

Defensive midfielder Romeu, who's previously played for FC Barcelona and Chelsea, has started 17 of Southampton's 18 Premier League games so far this season.

The 30-year-old is in the penultimate season of his contract at St Mary's and is valued at £4.5million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Phillips said the 'nasty' Romeu reminded him of Tottenham Hotspur's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - a consistently good but under-the-radar operator.

He thinks the Spaniard would offer Villa a 'platform' if they can get the deal done.

"I think Romeu would be a solid option for Villa," he said.

"He reminds me a lot of Hojbjerg. He is an 8 out of 10 every week but he will never be that player who pulls up trees. I wouldn't say he ever stands out but he does the nasty side of the game – the tough industrious side of things.

"Villa will know what they’re getting. Romeu is an organiser and a leader. If Villa could secure his services, it'd be smart business. He gives you a platform to build off and allows other more offensive players to play."

The verdict

Romeu would bring vast experience to Villa Park, with 219 Premier League appearances under his belt.

Phillips compares him to Hojbjerg, but he actually boasts a similar stylistic profile to Liverpool's Fabinho, standing out among positional peers for his progressive carries, successful aerial duels, tackles and clearances (via FBRef).

Based on Transfermarkt's calculations, he'd also be fairly cheap, and so it could be a shrewd bit of business for Villa, particularly after they lost Marvelous Nakamba to a long-term injury.

In other news, fans ripped into this man's performance against Chelsea.