Confirmed: Aston Villa take PL veteran powerhouse on trial
By Matt Bullin
Aston Villa have taken defender Chris Samba on trial after his contract at Panathinaikos expired in January of this year.
The 33-year-old centre-back lined up alongside new skipper John Terry in the heart of Villa’s defence in their friendly against Walsall on Tuesday night.
Sky Sports News reported that Samba was on trial on their transfer live blog on Tuesday evening (8.13pm), and his inclusion was confirmed by the club’s official Twitter account before the match.
The former Blackburn defender played the full 90 minutes for Villa, and he helped the side keep a clean sheet as the game ended in a 0-0 draw.
The Premier League veteran, who has 171 top-flight appearances to his name, last appeared in England during a six month stint at Queens Park Rangers in 2013.
The powerhouse defender would become Villa manager Steve Bruce’s third signing of the summer should he complete a move, joining Sam Johnstone and Terry at the club.
Football Insider verdict
There is no doubt Samba is vastly experienced, but eyebrows may be raised if he and Terry line-up together in defence for the Villans. Both players are in the twilight of their careers, and as a result their pace has waned considerably. However, as a squad player the 33-year-old could provide a decent signing for the Birmingham giants, who are on the look out for reinforcements for for their squad, and have been touted to win promotion next season.
In other Aston Villa news, Bruce is close to completing his third summer signing.
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