Aston Villa complete quick-fire defender sale

Aston Villa have completed the sale of Nathan Baker, who joins Bristol City for an undisclosed fee. This sale comes after the signing of Chris Samba and John Terry, leaving the 26 year-old as a fourth-choice centre back.

Villa’s story is as follows;

The defender has signed a four-year deal and returns to Ashton Gate on a permanent deal having made 38 appearances in a loan spell with the Robins during the 2015/16 campaign.

A graduate of the youth academy at Villa Park, Baker made 122 appearances for the claret and blues after making his debut in January 2011 and scored his only goal for the club last term in the 1-1 draw at Brighton.

Nathan Baker joined Villa 13 years ago, as a teenager and has been part of the furniture at Villa Park for a long time - but he’s off now. While the deal does make sense, it tilts Villa’s defense towards the retirement home. Villa’s ageing backline is a worry, and although experience can be counted on, their legs cannot. Baker was also Villa’s only left-footed centre-half, a key reason why Steve Bruce relied on Nathan, who added balance to the defence.

Baker wasn’t a world beater, but he was Villa - and it’s a real shame to see him move on.