Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has a ridiculous amount of quality centre-backs at his disposal.
Kortney Hause might be a tad less excited about joining Aston Villa now than he was a month ago.
Hause joined the Villans on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in January and played a big role in helping Dean Smith’s side win Premier League promotion in May, earning him a permanent stay.
When he signed on June 17, the 23-year-old was one of only two centre-backs at Aston Villa – the other being James Chester.
Fast forward a month, now there’s no fewer than five and Hause may already be in trouble with regards to first-team football.
Aston Villa announced the signing of Bjorn Engels in a £9 million deal last night [The Express and Star], following Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa to Bodymoor Heath.
And realistically, Hause just isn’t going to be a regular fixture in Smith’s first XI this season unless there’s a major injury crisis.
He won’t be playing ahead of Mings, Konsa or Engels, while there’s certainly a debate to be had as to whether a fully-fit Chester is a better defender than him.
And the relentless surge of centre-back signings since Hause’s arrival makes you wonder whether he’d have signed as quickly if he knew that the competition would be this intense.
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