Aston Villa have signed Wigan Athletic centre forward Grant Holt on loan for the rest of the season after passing a medical at the West Midlands club. The 32-year-old's summer move to FA Cup holders Wigan has seen him fail to recapture the goalscoring form of previous club Norwich where Lambert managed Holt successfully. Now the pair have linked up again. At Carrow Road, player and coach won successive promotions from League One to the Premier League. Holt captained the Canaries throughout their resurgence, scoring 68 league goals and winning three consecutive Player of the Year awards in East Anglia. Since a summer switch to the DW Stadium, however, Holt has managed to net just twice in 21 matches in all competitions. Villa boss Lambert has turned to his old favourite in a bid to solve his own shortage up front. Darren Bent was loaned to Fulham for the season last summer and Czech frontman Libor Kozak will miss the rest of campaign with a broken leg. That leaves Christian Benteke, Jordan Bowery and Nicklas Helenius as the only fit out-and-out centre forwards on the books at Villa Park. That trio are all aged 23 and younger, so Holt's arrival in Birmingham will give Villa and Lambert a more experienced option to lead the attack. Lambert told Villa's official website:
"Losing Libor was a blow to us, obviously. When I knew Grant had become available it was something I wanted to pursue quickly because he'll add strength and experience to what is still a young squad overall. Having worked with him for three years at Norwich, I know what he can do and that's important. "Coming back into the Premier League will rekindle that desire in him to succeed again at this level and, if he can replicate what he did in those three years at Norwich over these next few months here at Villa, then he'll make an impact, that's for sure. "Grant's got some really strong attributes, he's someone who is tried and trusted and a player I've worked with before. We're looking at one or two other positions as well but this is good business for us and he'll be a really strong influence."
Holt himself added:
"If you just look at the likes of Christian, Gabby and Andi and then the players behind them, you can see what quality is here. "The manager is trying to build a strong base with youthful, hungry players while adding experience in there too - the likes of Ron Vlaar, Brad Guzan and Karim El Ahmadi. "I'm just delighted to be a part of it to try and get the best out of them and, hopefully, they will also get the best out of me. It's a massive opportunity for me personally, an opportunity I couldn't turn down.
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.
