Kaine Kesler-Hayden now set for Aston Villa senior role despite Bodymoor Heath medical on Thursday
The January transfer window has been in full flow for a couple of weeks already but Aston Villa appear to finally be getting their own incoming business up and running after a slow start.
Like every Premier League club, Unai Emery’s side have been linked with a whole host of potential targets, some reasonable and some typically outlandish as Villa look to secure their place in the Champions League places this season.
However an incoming is on the horizon, with Kosta Nedeljkovic appearing to be set to complete the move to the Midlands, with reports suggesting that he will make the trip to Bodymoor Heath on Thursday (17 January) to complete his medical [Express & Star, 17 January].
However, the Serbian will then make the loan switch back to Crvena Zvezda for the second half of the season, leaving only Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa as Emery’s senior righty-back options at Villa Park.
But one rarely-seen Villa gem could be set to shine under Emery as Kaine Kesler-Hayden is expected to remain at Villa Park for the second half of the season having been recalled from his loan spell with Plymouth Argyle.
Kesler-Hayden is expected to be primarily utilised as a cover option, however, Cash’s inconvenient performances partnered with Konsa’s excellent displays at centre-back could allow the Villa youngster to make a name for himself in the first team.
The 21-year-old was a regular for Plymouth in the first half of the season, making 24 appearances in the Championship, including 19 starts where he even managed to pick up two assists [Fotmob].
Kesler-Hayden carries a real goal threat from the defence as well. During the first half of the season, he averaged more shots on target a game than 92 per cent of Championship fullbacks and had a higher expected assisted goal rate per game than 70 per cent of his peers [Fbref].
That was in a Plymouth team that were struggling towards the bottom end of the Championship table as well. With Aston Villa’s impressive array of attacking talent, the young fullback could be a real creative force in Emery’s side.
With the congested fixture schedule at Villa Park, as Emery’s side continue to compete in the Premier League, Europa Conference League and FA Cup, Kesler-Hayden may well get opportunities to showcase his skills in the Aston Villa first team.
Hopefully, he can kick on and put himself in contention for a starting role before Nedeljkovic arrives properly in the summer.
In other Aston Villa news, Alan Hutton has shared his verdict on Nedeljkovic after Fabrizio Romano’s latest update
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