James Chester has been an outstanding servant for Aston Villa during these past four years.
Stoke City fans are reacting on Twitter to rumours that they are close to signing Aston Villa’s James Chester – and it’s fair to say that their opinions are divided.
As reported by The Sun (30 January, page 54), Wales international, Chester, is closing in on a move from Villa to the Potteries before Friday’s cut-off point.
There were some sections of the Stoke fans who were pretty pleased to see that their club were linked with such an experienced and top-performing Championship campaigner.
But then others were questioning whether the 31-year-old would play, as some also questioned why Stoke are vying for a player in his 30’s.
Chester is yet to play in the Premier League for Villa this season, with his minutes on the field of play coming during the domestic cup matches.
Despite that, it wouldn’t be a surprise if large sections of the Villa fan base would want him to stay, but the Welshman needs game time, and at B6, the likes of Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Kortney Hause are ahead of him.
Injuries have ruined the back end of Chester’s Villa career, with a knee problem during their promotion campaign having a big effect on his training and game time.
If he is over that then Stoke will have a seriously top-quality centre-back on their hands, one with experience and someone who knows how to earn promotion.
Whilst promotion is out of the window for Michael O’Neil’s relegation-threatened side this term, he could help them make a return to the Premier League next term because he has already done it on three occasions.
Here is a selection of Stoke fans reacting to those Chester rumours:
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