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John Percy in the Telegraph is reporting that Aston Villa are set to close their long-rumoured deal with West Bromwich Albion for Joleon Lescott before the transfer window closes tomorrow evening. The deal is speculated to be worth £1.5 million, which makes it exactly the type of deal not worth complaining about in the slightest. Lescott grew up as an Aston Villa fan, and there have been connections between the player and the club for years.
If he joins the club, he would likely come in as the second- or third-choice centre back right now. Had Ciaran Clark not made so many dumb mistakes lately, Lescott would probably be a bench player. But Clark has been far from his best this season, and already has three yellow cards to his name, so the chance is there that Lescott could slot right into the lineup alongside Micah Richards. When Jores Okore becomes healthy, that may further complicate things a bit.
But really, this is added depth at a position where Villa have proven a club can't have too many players. Every one of Villa's centre backs are injury prone, so having Lescott around, at least as cover, cannot possibly be bad, especially when he will come so cheaply.