Aston Villa: Re-upping Alan Hutton a pragmatic, yet unspectacular move

Aston Villa made a surprise announcement earlier this week. The club re-signed fullback Alan Hutton to a one-year deal. The Scottish Roberto Carlos will play through his age-34 season.

Alan Hutton’s future was one mired in heavy debate throughout the course of last season. Hutton, a right back by trade, played about 2/3 of the season at left back, where he quite possibly put-up his best ever season in the claret and blue shirt. It was remarkable, really. Hutton, at 33, and in 8th season at Aston Villa, excelled in an unnatural position.

With his contract expiring at the end of June, the Villa faithful had split opinions. Some thought he should only return if the club fail to get promoted, while others thought it was time to move on altogether. A great many more were somewhere in between.

On Thursday, Aston Villa Football Club announced it had come to terms with Hutton on a one-year extension:

Reportedly, Hutton took a pay cut to return amid interest from other clubs. Nottingham Forest offered a two-year deal, per multiple sources:

Villa Verdict:

Re-upping Alan Hutton is a pragmatic move for Aston Villa. The former Scotland players offers the versatility of featuring from both fullback positions. While he’s a black hole from an offensive standpoint, he at least offers a solid defensive presence on either side. Think of Hutton as a safety net for Ahmed Elmohamady, Neil Taylor, the developing James Bree, and whoever else Villa bring-in as a fullback.

The question remains, however: where exactly do Aston Villa plan on improving from last season’s 4th-place finish?

Left and right back were arguably the two weakest positions for Villa, in comparison to every other area of the pitch. All signs point to Steve Bruce returning for another year amid the club’s financial woes. Does he plan on playing Hutton week-in and week-out like he’s done for the past 18 months?

With Hutton as a starter, Aston Villa have: finished 17th in the Premier League, suffered relegation, finished mid-table in the Championship, and lost in the EFL play-off final in the last 4 seasons. It sounds like wishful thinking that the club can compete for a title without visible improvement at both fullback positions. Hutton, at 34, is not that.

It is likely in Aston Villa’s best interest that the player returns in a reserve/swing fullback capacity.