Deal all but done: Aston Villa agree terms with 'highly-rated' Smith, loan transfer sanctioned
Kerr Smith has signed a new deal with Aston Villa ahead of joining St Johnstone on loan, according to John Townley.
The journalist reported the news for Birmingham Live on Monday (1 January), with Smith said to be one of a number of Villa youngsters set to leave on loan this month.
Teenage defender Smith arrived at Villa Park from Dundee United two years ago but has yet to feature in a matchday squad for the senior side.
Townley posted on Twitter [1 January]: "Kerr Smith has signed a new contract with #AVFC and will head out on loan to St. Johnstone for the remainder of the season.
"The highly-rated 19yo centre-back joined Villa from Dundee United in January 2022 having already made a handful of senior appearances in Scotland."
Smart switch for Smith
Smith is highly thought of at Villa, but he is clearly not close to breaking into the first team under Unai Emery at this moment in time.
Sending the 19-year-old to a club where he will likely feature fairly prominently therefore makes total sense.
St Johnstone, managed by Craig Levein, are 10th in the 12-team Scottish Premiership and are desperately battling to avoid relegation.
The hope is that, once this transfer officially goes through, Smith plays regularly for the Saints and returns to Villa Park in a position to challenge for a place in the senior squad.
The Scotsman has previous experience of playing in the league with Dundee, where his performances caught the eye of Villa chiefs.
Smith has since been restricted to appearances for Villa's U23, U21 and U18 sides, however, and is in need of some action at senior level.
If the Montrose native can perform at a high enough level for St Johnstone, it may well be that Emery has an extra option to call upon in defence next season.
In other Aston Villa news, the axe may now well beckon for a 50% player after what happened last week.