According to FootballInsider247, Aston Villa are lining up the January swoop for Sheffield Wednesday defender Matt Penney. 

The 20-year-old full-back can equally play as a midfielder, which would make him a huge asset to the club, as they face a crisis in defence.

This is a signing that would give manager Dean Smith a lot of options with regards to what formation he plays. He can play as a right-back or left-back, as well as a wing-back, making him a very attractive signing for any club. Not only that, but Penney looks to be a hugely impressive player, with a lot of pace and attacking potency.

However, while Penney would be a great addition, he may not be the answer to all of The Villans' problems. So far this season, Aston Villa have had a worrying dearth of centre-backs, turning to the likes of midfielder Mile Jedinak and full-back Alan Hutton to play there. Only one team, Preston, have conceded more goals than them so far this season, as the defence is clearly the club's biggest weakness.

While Penney is a player that The Villans should definitely go for, they simply must look to a centre-back as well in order to alleviate their problems. The worrying prospect for fans is that the signing of Penney may signify Alan Hutton's permanent move to centre-back. However, that seems hard to believe, given his age and recent performances.

Aston Villa host Swansea this weekend, hoping to put an end to a terrible run of form which has seen them fail to win in their past 11 matches in all competitions.