Why Stoke City must sign James Chester from Aston Villa this summer
Aston Villa are struggling to retain Welshman James Chester after Stoke City submitted an initial bid of £5million. Though the first offer has been rejected, it is understood that the Potters will come back with a new bid as they seek to take advantage of Villa’s financial problems.
The 29-year-old is a fantastic defender who will certainly be missed at Villa Park if sold and gladly welcomed at the Bet365 stadium. Chester had a decent season despite being unable to guide his club to a Premier League promotion. Financial problems are always a dangerous thing, and that could lead to Villa losing one of their key defenders to a fellow Championship club.
Here’s why Chester to Stoke City will be a dexterous move by the club.
Player Analysis – James Chester
Age – 29
Main Position – Defender (Centre, Right and Left)
Chester is a typical Welshman with tenacity and determination in his blood. In spite of being slightly short when compared to other centre-backs, the 29-year-old wins 3.1 aerial duels per game and is a threat in both boxes. It epitomizes his willingness to win every ball coming his way.
He doesn’t shy away from tackling, recording a rate 1.4 per game in the Championship to break up attacks and start the counter with incisive passes from deep. The Welshman has a pass accuracy rate of 87%, which is fantastic since he plays as a defender for a Championship team.
Furthermore, Chester is adept at coming out of his defensive line to intercept a crucial through ball, doing so at a rate of 1.3 per game. The 29-year-old also scored 4 goals, which is a decent return for a centre-back, thus signalling his threat from set-pieces.
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Verdict
Perusing the aforementioned attributes, we can imply that Chester will be a good addition for Stoke City and Gary Rowett. The Welshman possesses fantastic perseverance to not get beaten easily. He only got dribbled past at an average of 0.5 per game, indicating his reliability and dependability.
Overall, Chester seems like a brilliant choice for the Potters. Surely a defender of his calibre deserves to play in the Premier League and in the current situation, he may do that sooner with Stoke.
Stats Courtesy – Whoscored.com
