Gil linked to a move away in January

As the transfer rumors for the month of January begin to heat up, most of the talk pertaining to Villa has been about who Remi Garde may be able to bring in to bolster his squad. But, today, a report in the Spanish newspaper AS claims that Spanish side Betis are likely to try and make a swoop for Villa's Spanish playmaker Carles Gil. Gil joined Villa from Valencia in last season's January transfer window, but has had some difficulty assimilating into the physicality of the Premier League and has had less playing time than he likely anticipated when he agreed to join Villa.

While Gil is very confident and assured on the ball, he occasionally lacks the little bit of pace that would make him an exceptional chance-creator, and his defensive effort is often very minimal. Because of this, he was dropped in last season's relegation fight, with Tim Sherwood assessing him as a player not suitable for a relegation battle. With Villa in an even more perilous relegation fight this term, Gil might find himself in a similar situation, but Remi Garde is certainly more open minded when it comes to tactics and player personnel than Tim Sherwood was, so there may still be a place for him in this Villa side.

AS reports that Betis is planning on signing Gil on a 6 month loan contract to solve their immediate issues on the left side, with an option to buy in June. They also report that Villa would like to recoup much of if not all of the 4.2 million Euros that Paul Lambert spent on the young Spaniard last year.

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