Aston Villa make under-the-radar transfer call as Kaine Kesler-Hayden update emerges
Aston Villa have moved quietly behind the scenes as they opted to recall Kaine Kesler-Hayden from his loan spell at Plymouth Argyle on 14 January, as shared by Argyle’s official Twitter account.
The full-back made 24 Championship appearances in his short loan spell, with 19 of those coming from the start, including in the clash with Huddersfield on 13 January.
An official club statement from Plymouth Argyle confirmed that Hayden would return to Villa Park after the Premier League outfit opted to recall him halfway through his deal, although no announcement has been made by Villa.
At just 21 years old, Kesler-Hayden had impressed during his short spell in the Championship, but Plymouth have faced plenty of upheaval of late after plenty of outgoings in recent months, including several loanees and manager Steven Schumacher, who left to join Stoke City.
Fellow Villa loanee Finn Azaz was also recalled from his loan deal in favour of a permanent move to Middlesbrough as the club looked to cash in on another of their young assets, and Wolves opted to recall Luke Cundle amid links to Schumacher’s new side Stoke.
No such deal has been mooted for Hayden as things stand, and the reason Villa opted to recall him is unclear, but during a period of change at Plymouth, it may have made sense to look for a more stable option for Hayden to continue his development.
His Championship performances mean there should be no shortage of offers for his signature should that be what Villa choose to do, and the option may be on the cards for him to step up the table to a more competitive Championship side.
With Matty Cash impressing as an ever-presence in the right-back role under Unai Emery, it looks unlikely that the 21-year-old was recalled to provide competition or a potential replacement, with more news set to emerge soon about his long-term future.
In other Aston Villa news, Villa also opted to recall another loan wonder.