Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers told BT Sport on Sunday that he had too many players in his squad and that it was ‘very, very bloated’, providing the perfect chance for Aston Villa to secure themselves a centre-back in the January transfer window.

What’s the situation?

Whoever comes in as the new manager to replace Steve Bruce at Villa will have a huge task on their hands as the club sit 15th in the Championship table and have won just one of their last 11 games in all competitions.

The Villans had a torrid time during the summer after missing out on promotion to the Premier League at the final hurdle, losing 1-0 to Fulham in the Championship playoff final. This cost the club more than just face too as they were plunged into a financial crisis and were faced with a winding up order from HMRC.

Luckily for the fans, new owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens then ploughed money into the club but Bruce ended the summer transfer window with just two recognised centre-backs in his squad and still insisted on playing Manchester United loanee Axel Tuanzebe at right-back.

This meant that Mile Jedinak was asked to play in the centre of defence and Villa will now surely have to buy in January.

Game time

Simunovic could be the perfect option right now for Villa. The 24-year-old joined the Bhoys in the summer of 2015 from Dinamo Zagreb but is currently a long way from being first-choice partner to Dedryck Boyata at Parkhead.

A former Croatian U21 international, Simunovic would surely be available for a reasonably small fee given the admission of Rodgers, and he could be exactly what Villa need to stop their current rot. With the offer of more game time south of the border too, a potential deal would surely benefit all parties.

So, Villa fans, would you like to see Simunovic at Villa Park? Have your say by voting in the poll below.