With 2024 well underway, here are three Aston Villa players you forgot were still contracted to the club.
Villa are certainly flying high at the moment. Since Unai Emery has come in, the West Midlands club has propelled up the table. The club sits fourth in the Premier League table and despite a rare 3-1 defeat to Chelsea last night, fans remain highly optimistic.
Multiple players have been performing well beyond expectations. Ollie Watkins is just one player who has received widespread praise. This has helped him secure a place within the England squad.
Emery is certainly the man to thank for the recent success with the starting XI all performing consistently well throughout the current campaign.
However, there are many players who have not seen the same success under the Spaniard. As a result, many have been unable to get a game for some time as the manager locks down his preferred squad.
Here, we look at three players that fans may have forgotten are still contracted to the club.
Kortney Hause
Part of the Villa side that won promotion to the Premier League in the 2018/19 season, Hause was signed by Dean Smith after their play-off victory.
In the top flight, the centre-back was often used as a squad player. The former Wolves man played 24 times in his first permanent season at Villa Park before his time on the pitch dwindled. A loan to Watford last season followed but the 28-year-old could only make three appearances.
Now, the centre-back has gone over two years without making an appearance for Villa. His last game for the club came in January 2022 in a 1-0 victory over Everton.
Injuries have been a factor in his absence with a knee injury keeping him on the sidelines.
Morgan Sanson
Sanson’s career just hasn’t worked at Villa. The midfielder signed for the West Midlands club back in 2021 from Marseille for a fee that was believed to be around £14m.
However, since his arrival in England, his time has been littered with injuries. The midfielder picked up a knee injury in April 2021 which ruled him out for the rest of the campaign. Upon his return, the Frenchman quickly found himself injured again.
Over the last two seasons, Sanson has only made three appearances for the club. The midfielder has been sent out on loan to France. Last season, he spent time at Strasbourg before joining Nice on loan this season.
Calum Chambers
Signed back in 2022 from Arsenal, many hoped that Chambers could kick his career on at Aston Villa. The defender originally showed a lot of promise and collected three England caps back in 2014.
However, the revival of his career that he may have been looking for at Aston Villa has not come to pass.
The defender, like Hause, was mainly used as a squad player in his first two seasons where he made a combined 28 appearances.
This season has been less fruitful for the 29-year-old. So far he has only made three appearances for the club all of which came in Europe. He has yet to play a Premier League game despite being on the bench most weeks.
The defender was told he could leave in January but nothing came to pass, with Chambers remaining on the books at Villa for the time being.
