Aston Villa center-back rewarded with new contract

Amongst all the player exits from Aston Villa these past few weeks, one player looks like he won't be going anywhere. 25-year-old Ciaran Clark, one of Villa's better performers this season, is set to sign a new contract with the claret and blue.The Irish center-back, who is entering the final year of his contract, has reportedly drawn interest from West Brom in the past few days. Villa fans may have rioted if such a move had gone through, but it doesn't seem like there's anything to worry about, as Tim Sherwood is preparing to offer Clark a new contract.

There's no doubt Clark deserves it, as well. After a few inconsistent years, he was stuck in a logjam at center-back at the start of the season, along with Ron Vlaar, Jores Okore, Philippe Senderos, and Nathan Baker. But when injuries ravaged the back line, he was given a chance to cement his spot in the starting 11. He formed a solid partnership with Okore during the season, making Vlaar's potential exit less of a blow. Clark was among Villa's top players last season, and was most likely one of Sherwood's first names on the team sheet before his unfortunate injury.

It seems like this past season Clark finally took the step his career needed, eliminating those costly mistakes and lapses in concentration (for the most part) that plagued him in the past. He's a hard-nosed center-back who loves a tackle, and he's extremely loyal to Villa. I think he won a lot of fans over with his red-card against Leicester City early this year, receiving a sending off for taking offense to a tackle on Okore from Leicester's Matty James (Not the first time a Leicester player escaped punishment for a terrible challenge). After the sending-off, Clark said, "It shows we are all fighting for each other and all in it together. it's not just one man on their own here. We are a team and when tackles go in like that against your mate it's not nice to see."

You're right, Ciaran. That's not nice to see. But you signing a new contract? That is certainly nice to see.