Stuck behind Gianluigi Donnarumma at Milan, Pepe Reina used the January transfer window as an opportunity to find himself some first-team football, which he found at Aston Villa.
Dean Smith was on the lookout for someone with experience capable of helping his side fight against relegation, and when the opportunity to sign the former Liverpool goalkeeper came up, he took it.
The 37-year-old made six appearances in the Premier League before the Covid-19 pandemic brought the world of football to a stop, conceding 13 goals, and never kept a clean sheet.
While there remains a chance the player could be able to finish the season at Villa Park and perhaps achieve what he came to do, it seems unlikely he will stay beyond the current season, especially since there is no clause to make the move permanent in his loan.
That means he will need to return to Milan, who are at a bit of a loss when it comes to knowing what to do with him, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
A lot could rest on the future of Donnarumma, as the youngster only has a year left on his current contract, and this summer would be the ideal time to cash in on him if they cannot find an agreement on a renewal.
If that is the case, then Reina, whose deal also expires in 2021, would be an easy player to plug in the gap for a year while they find a long-term replacement.
The issue remains his €3m/year wages, which they cannot really afford to pay if Donnarumma stays, so if the 21-year-old extends for the foreseeable future, the Spaniard would then need to be sold.
It isn’t said if Aston Villa would be interested in such a deal, but perhaps it’s something Smith could look at if he enjoyed working with Reina during their brief stint together and he can guarantee him first-team football?
