Jonty Banks

Tue 10 January 2023 16:45, UK

Aston Villa have thrown down the gauntlet to the rest of the Women’s Super League after snapping up Manchester United midfielder Lucy Staniforth on an 18-month deal.

Villa threw the WSL’s footballing landscape into a frenzy las week when they signed Arsenal legend Jordan Nobbs, and they have repeated this feat with the signature of Lioness Staniforth.

The 30-year-old has 17 senior England caps to her name and was a huge part of the Women’s World Cup squad in 2019, adding further pedigree to Carla Ward’s ranks.

Ever since Ward walked through the door from rivals Birmingham in 2021, the club have looked hungry to transform themselves from a relegation-threatened team into one that can compete in league’s upper echelons.

And although there is still a long way to go, Villa continue to put the pieces of the puzzle together at quite some rate.

However, what on earth does Ward do with her Villa side against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday 14 January?

The plethora of midfield options Villa now possess is just downright rude, and teams across the country will look on enviously at the selection dilemma the 39-year-old manager faces.

Alongside 130-capped Scotland international Rachel Corsie, Lioness-in-waiting Laura Blindkilde Brown, Ruesha Littlejohn and fellow new signing Jordan Nobbs, Staniforth isn’t even guaranteed a starting spot in this squad brimming with international stars – which is quite something to say.

That’s without even mentioning Kenza Dali, who usually plays in a slightly more advanced role for the Villans but has nonetheless hit the ground running since her summer transfer from Everton.

A shift in formation could be in store for Villa fans in the second half of the season in order to fit in both Staniforth and Nobbs, but who will miss out is a tough decision.

Blindkilde Brown has been one of the standout players in the Villa team this year, and at just 19, has a huge future ahead of her. A potential option could be to shift Dali into a more progressive starting position and free up a spot up for the youngster to start alongside the two January recruits.

This could result in a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Dali occupying defenders as an attacking midfielder and Rachel Daly and Alisha Lehmann starting as split strikers, and the aforementioned trio holding up the middle of the park.

Whatever Ward decides her best midfield combination is, it will certainly have enough match-winners in it to help Villa mount a WSL charge in the coming months.

In other Aston Villa news, Rachel Daly should be played as centre-forward for the Lionesses in 2023 after her stunning campaign in the West Midlands.