Aston Villa have been linked with a host of attacking talent since the transfer window has opened but have most recently been linked with Valencia's Jasper Cillessen to provide some competition in-between the sticks for the upcoming Premier League campaign. 

After conceding a staggering 67 goals during their return to the Premier League, it's come as no surprise that Dean Smith is looking to strengthen the goalkeeping department. 

Villa went through plenty of goalkeepers last season, Tom Heaton featured as Villa's number one in the league until he sustained a season ending injury against his former club Burnley on New Years Day. 

Jed Steer was unable to stake a claim when he was called upon after getting injured away against Wolverhampton Wanderers, which lead to Orjan Nyland receiving some unexpected minutes in the league - whilst also acting as Villa's go to in their impressive run in the Carabao Cup, making it all the way to the finals. 

Pepe Reina came in on loan from AC Milan and added the leadership and experience Villa lacked whilst Heaton was injured. It comes as no surprise that Villa are in the hunt for an experienced goalkeeper to bolster their defensive options. 

Cillessen is a Dutch international and will more than likely be remembered as the goalkeeper Louis Van Gaal substituted during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil after he'd kept a clean sheet for 120 minutes against Costa Rica.

Van Gaal decided he'd replace the shot-stopper with Tim Krul, in what initially seemed like a bizarre decision, which has since been deemed a masterstroke - as Krul ensured safe passage for the Dutch to the semi-finals, Van Gaal was vindicated by his decision. 

From NEC Nijmegen to Ajax and Barcelona to Valencia, Cillessen is a keeper who has played for some of Europe's biggest clubs. Amassing 207 appearances at club level and 56 for his country, the 31-year-old could prove to be a great addition to the Villa squad. 

Cillessen was able to revive his career and receive regular game time by making the switch from Barcelona to Valencia. Last season, Cillessen made 38 appearances in all competitions (including UEFA Euro qualifying) and conceded 42 goals and kept an impressive 10 clean sheets, conceding an average of 1.12 goals per 90 minutes (Via FootyStats). 

The Dutchman conceded 26 goals in his 24 La Liga appearances, with five of his clean sheets also coming in Valencia’s 2019/20 league campaign.

Comparing that to his potential competition, Tom Heaton conceded 33 goals in 20 Premier League appearances in his debut season for Villa. Conceding an average of 1.65 goals per 90 minutes, Cillessen edges it in that department.

Heaton managed to keep four clean sheets in his 20 appearances, which is rather impressive given how poor Villa's defence was for large parts of last season. 

Nyland only made seven appearances in the Premier League last season, conceding 12 goals - the Norwegian conceded an average of 2.01 goals per 90 minutes. He also only managed one clean sheet in his short stint in the Premier League.

Upon Pepe Reina's return to the Premier League, he featured 12 times for Villa, conceding 18 goals - Reina conceded an average of 1.5 goals per 90 minutes. The Spaniard also managed to keep two clean sheets during his short spell at the club. 

Whilst the stats may not speak the full truth of Tom Heaton's goalkeeping heroics, it's clear that Cillessen would prove to be a solid addition to the goalkeeping department at B6. 

When analysing the "Dean Smith way", it's important that his sides play out from the back. A key component for the modern-day goalkeeper is to be comfortable on the ball and be able to pass the ball out to his defenders or midfielders who've dropped deep. 

Knowing Cillessen has spent the best part of five years playing for Ajax, he has the 'Cruyffian' footballing DNA, which is exactly what Dean Smith is looking for in his players. 

Cillessen completed an average of 26 passes per game in La Liga last season, with 56% of those passes being accurate.

Villa's Tom Heaton also managed an average of 26 passes per game in the Premier League, with only 52% of his passes being accurate. Nyland only averaged around 22 passes per game, though his passing accuracy is slightly better than Heaton’s, completing 53% of those passes. As for Reina, he averaged 29 passes per game, with an impressive 67% pass accuracy. Bettering Villa's current options and Cillessen. It may only be by small margins, but Cillessen edges it over Villa's permanent goalkeeping options. 

TransferMarkt has Cillessen valued at around £11m, the Dutchman would add some much-needed quality competition in-between the sticks. With experience in playing for his national team in World Cup's and Euro's, accompanied with recent Champions League experience, it seems that Villa have profiled the perfect goalkeeper to rival the likes of Heaton and Nyland. 

Strength and depth are important in the Premier League, competition is healthy for a squad looking to better a 17th place finish. Goalkeeping coach Neil Cuttler could get the best out of all keepers at the club by adding a keeper of Cillessen's ilk to the squad.