Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert wants to bring Tottenham Hotspur defender Kyle Naughton to the West Midlands. The Sunday Mirror reports that the 25-year-old fullback could be available for a cut-price £3 million. Lambert is keen on Naughton, who played under him at Norwich City two seasons ago. Naughton has been in and out of the team at Spurs, covering either right or left back when injury and suspensions have left the likes of Kyle Walker and Danny Rose unavailable. He and Walker joined Tottenham together from Sheffield United in 2009 for undisclosed fees. Since Tim Sherwood took over as Hotspur head coach from Andre Villas-Boas, Naughton has played just one game. Villa have chopped and changed their fullbacks this season with Leandro Bacuna and another Blades academy product Matthew Lowton getting games on the right. Joe Bennett and Antonio Luna a summer signing from Sevilla have vied for the left back berth. Villa's Black Country rivals West Bromwich Albion were also looking at Naughton when Steve Clarke was head coach at The Hawthorns. Successor Pepe Mel may revive that interest. Naughton earned nine England Under-21 caps between 2008 and 2010, but is also eligible to play senior international football for the Republic of Ireland.
Jamie Clark is a qualified Web Journalist after undergoing professional training at the University of Sheffield. A prolific and accredited sports writer, he also enjoys classic comedy, historic fiction, 80s music and heritage.
