Dan Bardell exclusive: Aston Villa right to let Kortney Hause leave despite Diego Carlos injury
We’re delighted to welcome The Athletic’s Dan Bardell as our exclusive Aston Villa columnist each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the club…
Aston Villa allowing Kortney Hause to leave the club on loan despite Diego Carlos being ruled out long-term is actually the right move, according to Dan Bardell.
The big-money Brazilian signing from Sevilla ruptured his achilles in the win over Everton and won’t be back on the field for months, potentially leaving Steven Gerrard short at the back, but the proposed loan-exit of Hause to Watford was allowed to go ahead anyway.
Villa may now turn to the loan market in an attempt to sign a replacement, which might appear counter-intuitive, but Bardell feels it wouldn’t have been fair on the English defender to take away the opportunity for him to play regularly this season at the last minute, and could have had a detrimental effect the team.
He exclusively told Villa News: “Sometimes with players, he’s obviously probably known all summer that he’s going to be leaving, and he probably wants to go himself because he knows he’s not going to play.
“Sometimes when a player’s mindset is already that his head might be a Watford, in some ways it’s probably the worst thing to keep him because he’s probably decided in his head he’s going to go to Watford, he’s going to be playing every week, he’s going to have a good go at trying to get promotion with them and making himself a Premier League player again.
“Whereas suddenly if Villa turn round and say you’re not going you’ve probably got an unhappy player then that’s sat on the bench, or not even on the bench most weeks, that’s just there in case of an emergency.
“You’ve just then got an unhappy player. In the building he’s got mates in the dressing room and it can become quite disruptive.
“I’m not saying Kortney Hause is a bad character because he’s not at all. But if someone’s got their heart set and the whole summer they’ve know they’re moving, and he’s obviously been waiting to recover from injury himself to get the move, sometimes it’s just not the right thing to do to make them stay when it’s all arranged.”
Hause only made seven Premier League appearances last season, obviously also without Carlos in the squad, so the new man’s injury was unlikely to suddenly catapult him into regular contention.
Should another untimely injury strike it might start looking like the wrong decision, but in theory Tyrone Mings next to Ezri Konsa will be the pairing going forward, with Calum Chambers backing up.
Whether it be a signing especially to be fourth choice or a youngster to fills the final spot, as long as there is not another significant absentee the amount of minutes they get won’t be extensive, so Hause will benefit more getting game time at Vicarage Road.
In other Aston Villa news, Bertrand Traore has completed a loan move to Istanbul Basaksehir.