Dean Smith is settling into his role as the new Aston Villa manager after switching from fellow Championship club Brentford last week, but while he is fully focused on Saturday's home clash with Swansea City he is also looking at potentially strengthening the playing squad as he looks to build on what has been a poor start to the season.
Smith has taken over from Steve Bruce, who left the club after a dismal run of results, and is ready to try and get Villa back into the top-half of the table before unleashing a charge for a play-off spot in the second tier, but one area that has worried Villa fans is the defence, which has struggled to find any solidity at all and has conceded 20 league goals this season.
Even though John Terry has returned to the club he has taken up the assistant head coach role and is not planning to put on his playing boots again, but since he left the club at the end of last season the Villa defence has leaked goals and has lacked the quality when Terry was at the heart of it.
Now, Smith has turned his attentions to former Premier League veteran James Collins, who has been training with the Villa squad all week, and while Smith is yet to make his mind up whether he is going to offer the 35-year-old a permanent deal the free agent could be signed at any point in the season.
Having left West Ham United at the end of last season, Collins is desperate to remain in the playing ranks and would be a strong addition to a Villa defensive setup that has often seen midfielder Mile Jedinak deputise with very few other options available.
So, while Smith, Terry and Richard O'Kelly will be firmly set in gaining a valuable three points against the Swans in front of a sellout home crowd on Saturday, he will also be mulling over whether to gift Collins with a potential short-term contract.
