Eyebrows were raised when Aston Villa loaned out Tommy Elphick to Hull City in August.
Villa sanctioned a loan move for the 31-year-old before missing out on transfer targets on deadline day meaning they only had two centre-backs at the club under Steve Bruce.
The Midlands club, who are now managed by Dean Smith, are set to recall Elphick from his loan spell at Hull City in January, as reported by The72. This is a blow for the Tigers and he has been a hit at the KCOM Stadium and has been influential in their recent impressive form.
The son of Steve Bruce, Alex, who currently plays for Wigan Athletic has taken to Twitter to respond to Villa fans questioning his father’s decisions during his time in the dugout at Villa Park. When asked about the decision to loan Elphick out in the first place, he replied:
Financial fair play…..had to sacrifice big wage earners to strengthen elsewhere. Only getting Players out at the time meant he could bring people in the likes of McGinn Bolasie and Abraham #next https://t.co/8wnlciSTMn
— Alex Bruce (@AlexBruce84) December 23, 2018
Steve Bruce was sacked by Villa in October and is now looking set to return to management with Sheffield Wednesday. His replacement at Villa, Dean Smith, has picked up the pieces left by Bruce’s reign and is now keen on boosting their defence by getting Elphick back. He is also looking to sign Brentford defender Yoann Barbet next month, as reported by The72 earlier today.
For both Steve and Alex Bruce’s former club Hull City, losing Elphick is a huge blow and will leave a big gap in their defence. The Tigers may have to delve into the transfer market themselves to find an adequate replacement.
