Ex-Aston Villa scout drops Calum Chambers and Leander Dendoncker verdict amid exit rumours
Villa News is delighted to welcome aboard our brilliant new columnist Bryan King, the former goalkeeper who spent over 10 years as a scout at Aston Villa and 28 years in total in first-team scouting roles. Bryan also spent six years on Tottenham’s recruitment team and eight years scouting at Everton…
Ex-Aston Villa scout Bryan King said he “didn’t fancy” Calum Chambers when he saw him during his time working at the club and couldn’t believe they paid a fee to sign him.
King consequently expects the versatile defender and teammate Leander Dendoncker to depart Villa Park in the January transfer window, though he does not foresee either player generating much of a fee.
The duo were named by journalist Dean Jones (GiveMeSport, 3 January) as two players whom Unai Emery might look to ship out this window to free space in his squad, with both struggling for games this season.
King was particularly surprised that Chambers was signed in the first place having monitored him closely and believes Emery has clearly decided he does not want them as part of his first-team squad.
Speaking to Villa News he said: “I do not fancy him (Chambers) at all, do not fancy him at all. Didn’t fancy him at Arenal, I couldn’t believe Villa paid money for him.
“(Dendoncker) would do a job with a Burnley or Sheffield United or a Leicester or an Ipswich.
“No (neither would generate much of a fee), you’d be talking about the same sort of money as the boy who came back from Plymouth (Finn Azaz, who has joined Middlesbrough).
“Calum Chambers I saw him, I was asked about him funnily enough when I was at Villa and I couldn’t believe they signed him, I’d left by then so my back’s clear on that.
“I looked at him, he came and played in a couple of games I watched, I think he played for England U21s or something, couldn’t believe it, didn’t fancy him at all.
“The other fella is one Emery thinks is surplus to the club now, he’d be one of those I think if he’s not in the team he’d be kicking up a stink I think.”
In other Aston Villa news, Dion Dublin raved about something one ace did versus Middlesbrough.