James Chester left Aston Villa on a short-term loan last month.
Dean Smith has revealed that it was James Chester’s decision to leave Aston Villa.
The 31-year-old defender left Villa to join Stoke City on a half-season loan deal last month.
In doing so, the Wales international, who is out of contract this summer, has probably already played his last game for Aston Villa.
The decision to loan him out infuriated fans of the West Midlands club, many of whom made their displeasure known on Twitter following the deadline-day announcement.
The former West Brom centre-back hadn’t kicked a ball in the Premier League under Smith this season, having missed virtually the entire second half of last season through injury.
But the Aston Villa boss has revealed via The Birmingham Mail that the decision to go was Chester’s and not the club’s.
He said: “James Chester (being allowed to go) was totally James Chester’s decision. We’ve got a great respect for each other. I think it was a very tough decision for him but he decided to go and get games I obviously couldn’t guarantee him.”
Very few Aston Villa fans can begrudge the popular defender a move away.
He was behind Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Bjorn Engels in the pecking order and his first-team prospects were looking very bleak.
Having barely played in 2019, Chester – an £8 million signing in 2016 [The Birmingham Mail] – will just want regular football and hopefully he’ll get that at Stoke.
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