Journalist Ryan Taylor has dropped an Aston Villa transfer update which could give supporters a morale boost before the transfer window closes next week.

What’s the news?

Taylor was speaking to GIVEMESPORT on Villa’s defensive predicament, saying: “I know they’ve got Chambers, who in fairness is not a bad backup, but given the length of Carlos’ injury, I think they will have to look at potential ones and I definitely think they will have to bring someone in.”

Steven Gerrard will surely make the signing of a centre-back his main priority before the end of the transfer window as he looks to solve this issue which threatened to ruin the season before it has truly begun.

A new defender is crucial

Carlos ruptured his Achilles tendon against Everton in Villa’s second Premier League match of the campaign, having to be stretched off, and it was later revealed he will miss the majority of the season.

The £26m signing was expected to form the backbone of a new-look defence for Gerrard, but the injury has seriously derailed any such plans, and another dip into the transfer market now seems required.

There have been a wide variety of potential signings linked with the club, with names such as Jan Bednarek, Abdou Diallo, and Attila Szalai among those mentioned.

The injury to Carlos means that Gerrard has just three fit centre-backs available - Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, and Calum Chambers - and these options may not exactly fill the Villa faithful with joy going forward.

The pairing of Konsa and Mings didn’t exactly set the world on fire last season as Villa stumbled to a 14th-placed finish in the league. The duo only won 35 tackles between them throughout the campaign and had a combined total of 19 attempted dribbles, which shows that they don’t have the confidence to push forward to provide support for the midfield or attack.

Their disciplinary records were also poor, with Mings (11 yellow cards) and Konsa (six yellows, two reds) often lacking the composure to keep a level head during matches.

It's clear that a new partnership is required at Villa Park, and Carlos was expected to be the figurehead behind it. Following his injury, though, Gerrard will now need to act fast and bring in another solid defender to ensure that Villa don’t ship another 54 Premier League goals like last term.

If they can, it might just solve perhaps the biggest issue facing the 42-year-old right now.