By Dylan Withers
TYRONE MINGS has been pivotal to the Villans’ success this season, providing stability in the back since his move to Villa Park in January.
For an English centre-back, there cannot be many better to be coached by than John Terry, one of the greatest defenders to ever put on an England shirt.
This has proved to be the case for Mings as, although he was out of favour at Bournemouth, Terry appears to have helped the on-loan defender take his game to the next level.
You would have thought that on-loan Mings’ performances in the Championship would have caught the attention of his parent club’s boss Eddie Howe, but the Cherries have already looked elsewhere and have secured the signing of a young English defender.
Bournemouth have acquired England Under-21 defender Lloyd Kelly from Bristol City, for a deal reportedly worth in the region of £15million.
Kelly has impressed for Bristol City this season. He is a strong, left sided defender with great pace and ball playing skills.
But, with that description, you could easily be talking about Mings.
The signing for the Cherries could potentially give Villa the green light to sign Mings, a move that would be beneficial for both club and player personally, as the chance he has been given by Dean Smith has revived the 26-year-old’s career.
There is still the the play-off final to negotiate, and if Villa do not reach the Premier League, it is unlikely that Mings will choose to make his move permanent.
As reported by the Express and Star, talks to sign Mings permanently have already begun, with Villa having a clause in his loan contract that allows them to match any bids from other clubs for the 6ft 5ins powerhouse.
John McGinn, Villa’s supporters and players’ player of the year, spoke highly about Mings and what he has brought since his arrival in January.
He told Sky Sports: “Tyrone has been different class since he joined in January. It took us ages to get him!
“He is a colossus at the back. I just don’t know how he does not get a game for Bournemouth.
“If we can keep hold of Ty in the Premier League, if we get there, it would be brilliant for the club.”
For Villa, if they do not clinch promotion back to the top flight, it could be damaging for the club when you consider the players they would lose as a result.
But if they seal a Premier League return after three years away, there is no reason why Mings and Co would not stay in Birmingham to help Villa reclaim their spot as a solid, top flight team.
Villa Roar 