Ron Atkinson thinks Branislav Ivanovic is the answer for Aston Villa
Jul 7 2009 by Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail
“I saw Ivanovic play against John Carew at Stamford Bridge last season and he was brilliant.
‘‘He was excellent, strong, tremendous in the air and he has played a lot of the time as their right-back.
“You never know, he could be a possibility and it could be worth Villa going down that line.”
Ivanovic signed for Chelsea for £9.7 million from Lokomotiv Moscow in January 2008 and has two years left on his contract.
“For me that is someone they might explore,” Atkinson added.
“There is a lot of talk of Carvalho going to Inter Milan but he hasn’t gone, and if Terry doesn’t go to Manchester City, Chelsea are strong in that department.
“They are talking of signing another right-back where Ivanovic sometimes fills in for Jose Bosingwa, so you never know, it might be worth exploring.”
Atkinson says Villa’s crop of centre-backs have to start delivering more of a return on the club’s investment.
“He has bought a few centre-halves, hasn’t he?” said Atkinson, who led Villa to a memorable 1994 League Cup success and a Premier League runners-up spot in 1992-93.
O’Neill has spent £9 million on Curtis Davies, £8 million on Carlos Cuellar and £4 million on Zat Knight.
“They have spent over £20 million on centre-halves. I think Martin O’Neill is entitled to expect, if he cannot get a top-of-the-range player, those players to come to the fore,” said Atkinson.
