Aston Villa announced in a club statement on Thursday that there are no administration advisors working with the club despite previous reports they could be on the verge of it, but they may still need to raise funds this summer and Leeds United should test the water with a cheeky bid for centre-back enforcer James Chester, rated at £7.2m by Transfermarkt.
What’s the word, then?
Well, despite the statement from the Championship side that they are in no immediate trouble after missing out on promotion to the Premier League, it seems there could still be some signifcant cost-cutting measures this summer if they are to stay within FFP regulations, as suggested by BBC Sport.
Captain John Terry has already confirmed that he won’t be staying when his contract expires later this month, while the futures of others like Jack Grealish and Chester could be in doubt seeing as they are two of their more valuable assets.
Meanwhile, Leeds director of football Victor Orta would have already got started on plans to bring new players to Elland Road this summer despite the Yorkshire outfit, whose owner Andrea Radrizzani is set to make his smartest decision since he took over, being yet to appoint Paul Heckingbottom’s successor, and centre-back could be a priority position that they look to strengthen ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.
How did Chester do last season?
Alongside Terry at the heart of the defence, the Wales international showed why he is arguably the best centre-back in the Championship.
The 29-year-old played every single minute of Villa’s league campaign as they conceded just 42 goals in their 46 matches, captaining the side when Terry was unavailable.
The defender also popped up with three goals and while he is decent on the ball, he showed his strength in the air by winning 150 of the 255 aerial duels he faced, while he also won 71 of the 96 tackles he attempted, as per WhoScored.com.
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Why would he be a good Leeds signing?
The Whites already have a great central defender in Pontus Jansson, and if they can find the right partner for the Swede they could be a real force in the promotion race next term.
Someone like Liam Cooper isn’t quite up to it, and if the Yorkshire outfit could bring the experienced Welshman to Elland Road instead it would be a huge coup for them, and would significantly boost their chances of finally securing the Premier League return that they have long been dreaming of.