Aston Villa defender James Chester secured a loan move to Championship side Stoke City on deadline day last month, as reported on BBC Sport.
The centre-back will stay with the Potters until the end of the season.
The Welshman has revealed that he made the move in an attempt to get more playing time. When speaking to Stoke’s official website, he said:
For the sake of my own career, I think that it was a really good opportunity to come and play the sixteen or so games that are remaining in the season and that’s something I am looking forward to doing.
It [playing time] was a huge factor. I had my injury issues and it’s been a while since I’ve played real football, and I started to get the taste in the League Cup in December and the FA Cup game last month.
It was a feeling I’d missed and a feeling that I really enjoyed, so to have that more frequently was a big factor.
READ ASTON VILLA VERDICT
Chester did not make a Premier League appearance for Villa this season but he did feature in the Premier League 2 three times, whilst also playing a part in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup for the first team (Transfermarkt).
However, we believe that it could prove to be a costly decision by Villa to let him go. Why? Because Chester is hugely experienced, with over 350 appearances in English football.
With Villa currently in a relegation battle, we feel they may have benefited from Chester’s experience at the back, especially with youngster Kortney Hause being heavily criticised by fans for his recent displays.
Dean Smith has also been using a back three in recent weeks, meaning there may have been a chance for Chester to start more matches at the club until the end of the campaign.
