As of July 1st 2015, Ron Vlaar's contract expires with Aston Villa. Now that the fans know that he has been offered a new deal at the club, but has currently shown no signs of re-signing - amid potential interest from Manchester United and Southampton.
Should Tim Sherwood look elsewhere and sign another centre-back like he has done already with Micah Richards? Or should Sherwood do everything he possibly can to make him stay at Aston Villa?
The answer is simple, and that is a resounding yes; the boss should look to replace him. The Dutchman has many good qualities in a player, which were particularly prominent when playing for the Netherlands at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
However, it has become more evident in this past season that for Aston Villa he has fallen out of favor with the club's fans and, to some degree, with management - due to his inconsistent performances and poor injury record.
Vlaar was a purchase under the Paul Lambert era at Villa Park and the only way to move on from such a torrid time, where in effect the club adopted a "losing mentality", is for Sherwood to bring in his own players.
There are many quality centre-backs in the transfer market which Sherwood could replace him with, and some Villa fans have even suggested that they should look to the youth ranks and promote from within. This seems to be a particularly good idea, especially with Sherwood's reputation with young players.
The Villa Park faithful should trust that he will do what is right for the club. If he follows suit with more purchases in the same ilk as Richards - still young hungry and with a winning mentality - they should have no doubt in their mind that Aston Villa will be nowhere near a relegation battle in the foreseable future.