With speculation mounting it appears as though Alex McLeish is ready to show his hand, probably this week, with his first signing(s). Rumours abound of possible bids for 3 players in particular so I examine the credentials of the Shay Given, Scott Parker and Charles N’Zogbia and give my opinion on what they offer us, should they sign.

Shay Given

Much talk is of interest in Shay Given and, if this is true, we land the Ireland stopper we would be signing a very good goalkeeper indeed. I’ve followed the career of Given very closely since he started out at Celtic – I live just 3 miles from him and we played sometimes on opposing sides at under-age level so I have local interest.

A great shotstopper, Given is experienced and as consistent as you like. He was outstanding in his time with Newcastle and has done little wrong at City. Truth be told he should probably be first choice ahead of Joe Hart at Eastlands, and City’s loss could very well be to our gain.

Given has many pluses, he would be a foundation rock of any spine that McLeish creates and would be a crowd favorite assumed against his popularity at his former clubs. The chance to play first-team football with Villa is a big lure, as he needs to be playing regularly to keep his international place. Given also is a model professional, accepting his role as City’s number two, but produced when called upon.

He is a strong, determined character who works hard at his trade and is quite differetnt the stereotype of the brash, garish modern-day Premier League footballer.

At 4m Given would represent great business. He already knows and has played with some of our existing defence in Dunne, Clark, and Ireland on duty with the national team so settling in would be no problem. His inclusion may cultivate improved performances from Dunne as he rarely has a bad international game when playing in front of Given. His detractors will point to a perceived lack of height – at 6’1” he’s not the tallest and can come under pressure when the ball is played on top of him.

There are also niggling injury doubts and, at 35, the recovery rate can be a bit longer. I personally think he’s youthful enough to play for at least another 3/4 years so I don’t share this concern. He may not offer the 10 plus years of Foster, but Given is the better keeper right now and I’d be delighted if we got him.

Charles N’Zgobia

Seen by many to be our managers pick to replace Young, it works well that McLeish is a long-term admirer having tried to sign him at Blues. Encouragingly the player was interested in talking to ‘that’ team in our shadow so surely a move to B6 would interest him. Money seemed to be the reason for breakdown in negotiations on that occasion and, even given expected prudence from Villa in this summer’s window, there should be enough in the pot to get N’Zogbia.

I actually think that if we could get N’Zogbia for anything up to £12m, then we would be getting a great deal given we just sold Ashley Young for a fair amount more. You see N’Zogbia for me would give our team more as not only is he a scintillating winger, he can also play in a host of other positions. N’Zogbia is a strong tackler and runner, has pace in abundance, great trickery, and is a marauding presence when on song.

Much like Young he can play on either flank, and is probably better than Young in the middle or in-the-hole behind the striker. At his previous clubs he has also filled in at left back with a willingness to get forward. Like Young, he has room for improvement given his age and playing with better players and at a higher profile at Villa.

The question mark hanging over N’Zogbia is one of attitude not ability. Seen, sometimes rather unfairly, as a trouble maker he had a very public spat with Joe Kinnear which led to his refusal to play and subsequent acrimonious departure. I would however imagine the argument between the two was less over any mispronunciation of his surname (as Insomnia) than the style of play and the general atmosphere at that club at that time.

At Wigan however, he has courted little to no trouble, yet still most fans of other clubs still see an impetuous individual. I personally don’t believe signing N’Zogbia would represent any gamble as such. The esteemed Bobby Robson said having signed him at Newcastle “N’Zogbia could go to the very top with the right coaching and motivation. I signed him as a teenager and he was one of the most naturally gifted players of that age I’d ever seen”.

Scott Parker

I don’t know if Alex McLeish reads blogs, but if he does and he happens to chance upon this then Alex, I implore you to sign Scott Parker and here’s why. Scott Parker is exactly the player we need to give us a dynamic midfield. Any midfield combination you can think of at the club whether it be a two, three, four, or five would be significantly stronger with the addition of Parker.

I know you could say that about Xavi or many others also but we aren’t exactly likely to sign Xavi. Parker offers experience and 100% commitment to the cause, is combative in the tackle, strong and likes to drive forward. This is exactly the type of midfield general we lack at present and in truth that we’ve lacked since Barry’s departure.

If Scott Parker joined the club tomorrow, the first thing I would do is hand him the captain’s armband. With Petrov all but finished as a regular starter, Dunne and Collins would be the most obvious choices to take over. Luke Young would be another candidate given his steady nature however I don’t think he has the personality for the job so we are left with no obvious favourite for the role.

Should Parker sign, he would be a great captain. The current Player of the Year, he has the respect of his fellow pros and is a true leader both on the pitch and in the dressing room. It is wise to note that it was Parker who famously rallied the troops from three down against West Brom so he displays leadership under pressure.

Those against Parker signing, of which I know few, shay that we should be looking at younger players. However I couldn’t disagree more – ask yourself would you rather Parker at 7m or Jordan Henderson for 20m?

Parker has at least three or four years at the top level ahead of him. We have plenty of young promising young players, they just need direction as much as anything. Playing alongside players of Parker’s and Given’s calibre would surely only bring out the best in them.

With these three, Given and Parker would add to the spine of the team, while N’Zogbia strengthens all round in terms of his flexibility in attacking positions. We would probably be looking at parting with around 20m for the three and, in todays inflated market, we would be getting great value.

The Need to Get It Right

The first market moves for McLeish are crucial and could help win over some still opposed to his appointment. It will be the manager’s first chance to show fans the way forward for Villa, and I have every confidence we are heading in the right direction.

We may not have or spend 40m this summer but I really don’t think we need to. After all, it is about the right players coming into the club, not the transfer fee associated with them. With that said, the three above players would represent a big step in the right direction.