Aston Villa were questioned by plenty of fans after selling Nathan Baker to Bristol City in the summer – and it’s clear to see why.
Just when things were going so well at Aston Villa, a broken metatarsal suffered by club captain John Terry has threatened to bring a premature halt to their renewed promotion hopes.
The former England skipper has been hugely influential in recent weeks as Villa recovered from a worrying start to the season to force their way into the play-off places.
After limping off midway through the 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday prior to the international break, however, Terry is now set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines – delivering a huge blow to Villa’s top six aspirations.
And it’s not as if Villa are blessed with depth at centre-half either. Chris Samba has barely started all season while the out-of-favour Tommy Elphick has not featured since being sent off in a defeat to Middlesbrough back in September.
If Villa’s decision to sell homegrown centre-half Nathan Baker this summer was contentious at the time, then, the 26-year-old’s exit looks even more baffling now. The Mirror reported in July that Bristol City were allowed to pay £4 million to sign Baker in the summer – and he has justified that price-tag comfortably so far.
As it stands, Baker’s Bristol City are flying high in fourth, two places and four points above his former club. And it goes without saying that the former England Under-21 international, who came through Villa’s academy, would have come in handy with Terry out for the foreseeable future.
Instead, Villa fans will continue wondering why on earth Baker was allowed to leave – for a team who could battle their side for a place in the play-offs no less.
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