Celtic, Leeds and Crystal Palace have all missed out on Kerr Smith, after it was announced that he’d completed a move to the Premier League.
What’s the story?
Well, Aston Villa have won the race to sign the exciting Dundee United wonderkid, who already has a decent amount of first-team experience.
To be more precise, the 17-year-old has made 12 appearances since breaking into the senior setup.
According to the Scotsman, the Villans have paid £2m to fend off Celtic, Leeds and Crystal Palace in this transfer battle.
They add that Steven Gerrard first became aware of the teenager during his time at Rangers, as Smith made his first-team debut at Ibrox.
Perhaps that helped give Aston Villa a chance to beat Ange Postecoglou, Marcelo Bielsa and Patrick Vieira to his signature.
The Scottish defender will, for now, become part of Aston Villa’s academy setup, with a view to breaking into the first-team.
Celtic, Leeds and Crystal Palace shouldn’t worry
In our view, there’s no need for the three clubs who missed out on Smith to feel too down about this.
After all, £2m is a lot to pay for a 17-year-old with only 12 first-team appearances, and it seems as if the Villans may have spent over the odds.
Additionally, as far as Leeds and Crystal Palace are concerned, losing out to their Premier League rivals isn’t much of an issue right now, as Smith is still years away from Aston Villa’s first-team.
Of course, it’s a shame to lose out on a big prospect, but Celtic, Leeds and Crystal Palace already have some fine defensive prodigies of their own such as Charlie Cresswell and Jake O’Brien.
Only time will tell if Smith proves to be worth the £2m fee.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
