Is James Chester on borrowed time at Aston Villa if Dean Smith signs yet another centre-back?
According to The Daily Mail, Aston Villa want to sign Brentford centre-back Ezri Konsa. This is a player who manager Dean Smith knows very well after previously signing him for Brentford.
Aston Villa could pay as much as £12 million for the big defender and it seems like Smith is sparing no expense on solidifying his back four.
If £12 million is spent on Konsa, Smith will have paid over £40 million on centre-backs this summer following moves for Kortney Hause and Tyrone Mings.
This is great news for Aston Villa fans because it suggests they’re very serious about staying in the Premier League, but it’s not so good for James Chester and you have to wonder that if the rumour about Konsa is true, is he finished in the West Midlands?
Chester, who cost £8 million in 2016 [Birmingham Mail], had his fair share of injury woes last season and Smith signing three centre-backs doesn’t exactly indicate that the Villans boss is expecting to see him a lot this time around.
He’s a very good defender on his day, but Chester is also 30 and it might just be the beginning of the end for him at Villa if Konsa is added to the squad.
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