Aston Villa defender James Chester has no desire to leave the club this summer, having spoken out about how much he is enjoying his time at Villa Park.
Chester had seemed destined to join Stoke this summer, when Villa’s finances were in dire straits, but now the club are more stable following the takeover by new owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.
Stoke have subsequently moved on to other targets, signing Everton defender Ashley Williams on a season-long loan.
Now Chester has commented on his commitment to the club, thanking Sawiris and Edens who have removed the need for Villa to sell their star players. Talking to The Independent, Chester said:
I was aware there was interest. People obviously knew there was a problem at Villa and it was inevitable that players would have to leave unless new owners could be found.
But I certainly did not want to leave. I have loved my time here and I wanted it to continue. Nothing was accepted and I never had to make a decision about whether my time at Villa was over.
Chester also expressed his delight that manager Steve Bruce is remaining with the club.
There was speculation that the former Sunderland and Hull City boss could leave, with Thierry Henry the frontrunner to replace him. However, Bruce is set to stay, and Chester couldn’t be more pleased. He continued:
It’s wonderful that the manager is staying. There’s not many people better qualified than him to be in charge of such a big club as Aston Villa.
I’ve played for him for a long time at Villa and Hull and I’ve enjoyed my time under him. I’m delighted that the new owners see him as our manager and there’s a nice buzz around the club.
It’s not ideal when you’re coming into pre-season and reading that the club is in trouble, but the most important thing is we’ve found owners who can take us forward.
