SMITH IN SWOOP FOR BIG KEEPER KALINIC
ASTON Villa have made a giant move in the transfer market by swooping for Croatia goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic.
The 6ft 7ins keeper will link up with Villa from Belgian side Gent for £7m when the transfer window opens on January 1. He has penned a contract until 2023.
The 28-year-old is manager Dean Smith’s first signing and it shows that Villa mean business in the second half of the season.
Current keeper Orjan Nyland, 28, has failed to fully convince this term and the Norwegian faces a real battle to keep the gloves from Kalinic, who featured once for Croatia in the World Cup finals in Russia this summer.
With Danijel Subasic retiring from international football after the World Cup, Kalinic has since become Croatia’s number one. He has 16 caps to his name.
Villa boss Smith said: “We are delighted to be signing someone of Lovre’s experience and quality.
“He is an outstanding goalkeeper and we are looking forward to welcoming him when he joins at the beginning of January.
“It’s one that’s been on the radar for the past few weeks. We’re really pleased to have got him in. He’s a big lad, 6ft 7in. He will command his box.”
And former Brentford and Walsall boss Smith, who has overseen an upturn in Villa’s fortunes since taking over from Steve Bruce in October, believes bringing in Kalinic will force current incumbent Nyland to raise his game, too.
“What I think it will do is bring the competitiveness in the goalkeeping department up to where we need it – for a football club of this size,” he added.
“The quality of those two will be very good and should push us on.”