Quite what we did we do to deserve Alan Hutton remains a mystery. Further, who in their right mind paid a fee (£4m) and agreed a four year contract for his services?
Alex McLeish must take a fair portion of the blame for wanting to link up with an old Rangers chum; but whoever released the funds without so much as a glancing on Youtube or the face of Spurs’ chairman Levy, needs a stern talking to.
Tonight there are a number of news outlets reporting that the Villa full back is available for loan. Shock, horror.
Loan, transfer, rocket into outer space; the fact is it’s no secret that Alan Hutton has absolutely no future at Villa Park.
The truth is that Hutton is most certainly one of the worst fullback in the clubs history. Easily the worst in living memory. And this is a club that romanced with Ulises De La Cruz in the role. We know poor fullbacks when we see one; but who to offload him to is going to be a stumbling block in itself.
Where to, Alan?
It is with some certainty that this blog can state Alan Hutton is not a Premier League defender. And that’s stating the obvious. Poor positioning, desperate lunging challenges and lacking in any sort of key attributes you would mark as a prerequisite of a modern defender.
Simply awful defending coupled with frequent dangerous tackles against opponents; skills not featuring on most managers shopping list.
Another hindrance is Hutton’s £30,000 a week wages. For this we only have ourselves to blame. A package agreed under supposed austerity at the club. The reality is that Villa will likely have to accept that subsidising a deal will be the only means of moving him to pastures new.
Wherever that may be?
Suitors appear very limited for the 27 year old Scottish international. Aside from brief interest from Stoke, nothing has materialised. For the reasons above, this is by no means surprising. Stoke, after-all, have enough leg breakers in their team already.
Hutton himself may need to drop down to at least an average Championship side or even lower. The fact that talent such as Matthew Lowton, whom Villa snapped up from Sheffield United, is available from League 1 would give me cause for concern if in his shoes.
There’s also little or no prospect of a return to former club Rangers (transfer embargo?) and its also unlikely a player cross the Glasgow city divide to bitter rivals Celtic, assuming they would want Alan Hutton. So slim pickings indeed, assuming Cowdenbeath aren’t looking for someone to chop the half time oranges.
Sarcasm aside, Hutton is a baffling player from an utterly bizarre period in the clubs recent history. Looking back, the club systematically put the wheels in motion for self destruction with such decisions to outlay on players of this calibre.
In time Villa will move on and with the inevitable departure of Hutton, will close a painful wound from last season. Under Lambert, judging by his signings so far, we don’t look likely to reopen it.