Villa land Swansea’s Carroll in late Transfer Day twist

Aston Villa’s January transfer window took on a late twist as midfielder Tom Carroll appears to now be headed to Villa Park instead of fellow Swansea City midfielder Leroy Fer. The move, announced during the dying embers of another transfer window full of surprises, appears to have been Plan B as Villa were unable to secure the dynamic Fer in advance of the deadline.

Carroll joins Villa on loan for the remainder of the season with an option to buy. Carroll, a former Tottenham Hotspur academy product, joined Swansea City in 2017 and has made 12 appearances thus far this season for the Swans - 66 in total over the past two-plus seasons. Considered by many a creative midfielder with a solid ability to pick out a pass, Carroll should fit nicely into Dean Smith’s midfield rotation and looks to be the type of player Villa should be pursuing these days - young and with potential. It’ll be interesting to see where Smith decides to the deploy the playmaker, but a role in front of Villa’s retooled back four seems the likely destination.

The midfielder had been out the last three months recovering from a hip injury Swansea boss Graham Potter has referred to as “complex.” The player had been working his way back from injury and appeared ready to be featured in the Swans upcoming match against Bristol City. When and where he’ll make his Villa debut remains to be seen.