Apparently Paul Lambert has submitted a £1.5 million bid for Norwich City midfielder Wes Hoolahan. The Republic of Ireland international has found himself as part of a rotation in Chris Hughton's starting XI, whereas he would likely be a regular starter at Aston Villa. Hoolahan, you may remember, was a consistent starter under Lambert when the manager was at Norwich City.
Hoolahan, at 31, isn't a sprightly young player any more. That said, if he could be had for the price Villa have supposedly offer, this wouldn't be a terrible deal. He's not flashy, but he gets the job done. In 5 appearances this year, Hoolahan has averaged 22 passes per match and successfully completed nearly 78% of those. It says something about Aston Villa's midfield that those numbers are actually pretty appealing.
So what to make of this all? Well, first, it's in The Mirror, so take that as you will. They're not typically my first source for reliable transfer rumours, but neither are they the worst possible media outlet. If Lambert is indeed interested in nabbing Hoolahan, it shows that he realizes that his midfield could use some shoring up. (And with Karim El Ahmadi being one of the club's best midfield options, it really could use some help.) Nevertheless, don't look for the two to recreate the magic they had at Carrow Road. Hoolahan is definitely on the downhill side of his career, but he could still be very useful for a couple of years. It's cheap enough not to hate, and smart enough to actually sort of like. More of this, please, Villa.