Aston Villa have completed the loan signing of Kyle Walker, Tottenham’s young right back signed from Sheffield Utd about 18 months ago, before being promptly loaned back and then playing at QPR on loan this season. He’ll be on loan with Villa until the end of the season, I don’t know yet if there is any option to make the move permanent.

I can’t comment on Walker as a player, I honestly haven’t seen him play so far as I can recall, but he’s 20 years old, 18 months younger than Eric Lichaj, but comes with 59 league appearances, although only 2 at Premier League level with Tottenham.

Walker was included in six of the seven England Under 21 squads last season, playing in the first four, but watching the last two from the bench. He was not a part of the squad that travelled to Germany for the final game of 2010 in November, I don’t know if that was due to injury or form. In any case, he’s certainly familiar with Marc Albrighton, Fabian Delph and Nathan Delfouneso.

The move probably suggests that Luke Young‘s injury is significant (how costly will his decision not to move to Liverpool prove to be for us?) and we all know that Habib Beye has no future at the club, but who will be taking him off our hands is a mystery to me at this stage.

Without seeing him play, I can’t say that I hope the deal turns permanent, but I have to confess a discomfort in taking one of Tottenham’s young players on loan – given the way they plucked both Walker and Kyle Naughton from Sheffield; both young right backs, then farmed them out on loan as Spurs no longer take part in the reserve league – if it’s not going to lead to a permanent deal. I don’t think we should be developing Tottenham’s young players for them.

The other concern, while I wouldn’t argue that Lichaj was ready to be first choice right back, with Luke Young out for who knows how long, Beye clearly off, is a 20 year old with little beyond Championship experience an immediate solution? Without wanting to pre-judge, I’d suggest it’s unlikely.

That said, looking to the longer term (something I appreciate is extremely difficult right now), if Walker turns out to be decent and the deal becomes permanent, the prospect of two young right backs in Lichaj and Walker competing for position doesn’t sound too bad to me.

But looking from one more angle; we’re not really in a position to be too choosy at the moment, if we really need a right back and he does the job for the next five months, playing an active part in keeping us up, then great, can’t grumble too loudly about that now can we?

Either way, he’s our player for the rest of the season, I hope he does very well. We may see him as early as Saturday against his old club in the FA Cup.

[Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons]