Ryan Bertrand joined Southampton in a £10m deal in 2015 but Aston Villa wanted to sign the Chelsea left-back too.
Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand has admitted to the Daily Echo that he had the option of signing for Aston Villa before he moved to the South Coast in the summer of 2015.
The Saints have oscillated wildly from European contenders to relegation candidates since the former Chelsea defender put pen to paper at St Mary’s almost five years ago, with Bertrand proving to be a pillar of consistency in an era of almost constant transition.
At his best, Bertrand was a regular in the England national team but he has suffered during Southampton’s decline in recent seasons, failing to win a single cap in over two years while producing just one Premier League assist since the start of 2018/19.
The 30-year-old may feel he has a point to prove on Saturday, however, as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s struggling side travel to Aston Villa – the club he could have joined before deciding that Southampton would be an ideal place to continue his development.
“I think there was the option (to join Villa) but at the time Southampton were a very progressive club,” said Bertrand, who has proved to be a snip at £10 million.
“We had Ronald [Koeman] and Paul Mitchell recruiting. I met with Ronald and the club’s direction was clear from top to bottom. We had clear principles, a clear philosophy and a clear direction.
“My mind was made up as soon as we had that conversation and that’s when I joined, and we had some fantastic seasons.”
Bertrand’s glowing praise of Koeman and Mitchell will have Southampton fans dreaming of better times. The Saints finished sixth during his debut season, just three points adrift of the Champions League places, with the likes of Dusan Tadic, Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk shining in red and white.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, have struggled to find a reliable left-back since Bertrand turned them down, with the likes of Neil Taylor and Jordan Amavi coming under near constant criticism from a frustrated fan base.
Bertrand actually spent a loan spell at Villa Park in 2014, making 16 league appearances.
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