According to The Guardian, Aston Villa have inquired about the possibility of landing one of Liverpool's midfielders. But no, it's not Stewart Downing. And no, it's not Charlie Adam. The midfielder in question is Jay Spearing. The 23-year-old seems to have been pushed out of the Reds' midfield by the plethora of talented players showing up at Anfield, and he's seeking a season-long loan. Who else is after Spearing? Why, Bolton and Wolverhampton. Oh, the company Villa find themselves in.
There are many issues I have with this possible pickup, including the fact that Spearing's face scares me more than a little. First, I hate, despise, and abhor Villa being used as a club to develop other Premier League talent. Here, Tottenham Hotspur, have Kyle Walker back! Oh, and we'd love a bill for breaking Jermain Jenas, thanks!
The other reason is -- me being me -- I gotta wonder what this would mean for Barry Bannan. Spearing is a box-to-box midfielder, so those two aren't going to be playing alongside each other. Unless Stephen Ireland isn't playing, but I still don't see Villa letting go of that man. It'd be nice to have Spearing around for rotation's sake, but usually players don't go out on loan to sit on the bench.
But for the most part, a loan move for a decent player certainly isn't going to hurt Aston Villa. It's not going to be the magic fix everyone's seeking, but we've got other moves in the works for that. We hope.