James Chester is yet to start a Premier League game for Aston Villa this season.
It has to be questioned why Dean Smith hasn’t provided more game time for James Chester this season because it’s not like Aston Villa have been blessing the Premier League with their 1990’s Italian style defending.
Aston Villa are sitting in the relegation zone and have conceded 44 goals from their 23 matches – only bottom-of-the-table Norwich City have slipped in more between the sticks.
From a back four to the now used back three, Smith is trying everything and many different partnerships and combinations in order to get the best out of his defensive line.
The likes of Tyrone Mings, Bjorn Engels, Ezri Konsa and Kortney Hause have been regulars at the back, but Chester, who has played in the League Cup and FA Cup, is yet to taste Premier League football this term.
The Birmingham Mail previously claimed that Championship duo, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough, are keen on Chester’s services.
Given that Villa are now playing three central defenders, given that they require experience, and given that they are still conceding goals – surely Chester has to be looked at in these coming weeks because interest in his services needs to be squashed and any approach refused.
Chester joined Villa when they were relegated to the Championship in 2016, as then-Villa manager Roberto Di Matteo snapped him up from rivals, West Brom.
It has been one of the best decisions Villa have made during a decade of complete incompetence and woeful decision-making in the transfer market. Remember Jores Okore? or even Joleon Lescott for that matter!
Nonetheless, Chester has been a very underrated figure at Villa Park and last season, during their promotion charge, the Welshman simply wasn’t given the credit he deserved for the part he played in Villa making a return to the promised land.
Villa went on a 10-game winning run to finish in the play-off places by three points, and whilst Chester didn’t play a single game during that run or in the play-offs, he did do his job in the winter.
With Smith picking up the mess from Bruce and having to deal with a thin, unbalanced and injury-hit squad, it came to a point when Chester was the only recognised centre-back at the club. But the problem was he was injured and could hardly train.
But given the individual that he is, Chester marched on and helped Villa pick up three points at Swansea, a point at Preston, a point against Hull and QPR.
Whilst it didn’t mean much at the time, those results ended up proving very valuable in Villa finishing in the top six and then going on to earn promotion because they could have easily collapsed like a pack of cards considering the defensive crisis they had at that time.
It remains to be seen if Chester does play a part for Smith because he can still do a job if given the chance.
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