Aston Villa snag Swansea midfielder Tom Carroll in last-gasp signing
Villa completed a dramatic loan swoop for Swansea City midfielder Tom Carroll - just three minutes before the transfer deadline.
The 26-year-old has joined in a deal which includes an option to buy at the end of the season.
Villa were also close to signing of Carroll’s team-mate Leroy Fer but that deal fell through in the final hours of the transfer window.
Fer was poised to join in a permanent move but Villa ultimately opted not to proceed.
Carroll therefore became the third and final signing of deadline day and the club’s fifth of the month, with the deal eventually rubber-stamped at 10.57pm.
The former Tottenham trainee has recently returned from a three-month injury lay-off.
Tyrone Mings completed his expected loan switch from Bournemouth earlier in the afternoon, while the club also sealed the signing of Caen full-back Frederic Guilbert.
The 24-year-old, who cost a fee of around £4.4million, was immediately loaned back to the French club for the remainder of the season.
They join goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic and defender Kortney Hause, who joined earlier in the month.
Villa moved for Fer and Carroll after their attempts to prise Isaac Hayden met with frustration, following the collapse of the Magpies move for Benfica’s Andreas Samaris.
The boss, meanwhile, believes the balance of his team’s defence has been fixed with the signing of Mings.
Villa were keen to insert an option to buy in the deal but ultimately had to settle for getting the 25-year-old on loan.
“That is something we will address at the end of the season,” said Smith. “The important thing was to get him through the door.
“We like to get loans with an option. We couldn’t on this. Certainly, when we get people in this building and they play well, come the end of the season we hope we can get a commitment.
“He wants to become a leader and play at the highest level he can. He is hungry for success. He is a great age as well at 25. He should be coming up to the prime of his career.”
The day also brought several departures, the most high-profile of which being Scott Hogan, who sealed his anticipated loan move to Sheffield United. Full-back James Bree was another to leave, joining Ipswich Town until the end of the season. Defender Jacob Bedeau made the only permanent exit, heading to League One Scunthorpe on a free transfer.
