Aston Villa Opinion: The acquisition of Kortney Hause in a permanent deal could solve plenty of problems for the Lions

According to Express and Star, Aston Villa are closing in on a £3million deal for Wolves defender Kortney Hause, with reports claiming that the Lions are prepared to take up their option of signing the 23-year-old permanently.

Express and Star understands that the Lions are interested in turning his loan deal into a permanent one before the transfer deadline, with manager Dean Smith keen to secure the futures of the loanees at Villa Park.

Hause, who joined Aston Villa on loan from Molineux back in January, was one of the driving forces behind the club’s promotion-winning campaign in the Championship this past season. The 23-year-old made a total of 14 appearances in all competitions for Villa, including the playoffs, as the Lions secured a much-awaited promoted back to the top-flight.

Along with Bournemouth loanee Tyrone Mings, Kortney Hause proved to be one of the key additions to Villa’s ranks in the January window, as Dean Smith successfully transformed Villa’s defence from one of the weakest in the Championship to one of the strongest.

Villa were struggling to keep themselves in the race for a playoff spot due to their leaky backline but they looked a completely different unit since the arrival of Mings and Hause in January.

Mings stole most of the limelight for Villa’s incredibly improved defensive performances but Hause played his role to perfection as well and established himself as one of the key cogs at the back for Smith’s army.

Hause was one of the key players for Wolves in the Championship back in the club’s earlier days in the second-tier but he fell out of favour at the start of the 2017-18 campaign, making only a solitary appearance in their promotion-winning campaign.

The 23-year-old made only a couple of EFL Cup appearances for Nuno Santo’s side in the first half of the 2018-19 season before joining Villa on loan with an option to make the move permanent.

The 23-year-old has quite an impressive profile for a player of his age, having made a total of 80 appearances for Wolves in all competitions till date. A regular for England at U-20 and U-21 levels, Hause was one of the standout performers for England U-21 in their triumphant campaign in the 2016 Toulon Tournament.

To put things into perspective, Hause established himself as one of the key players at the back for Aston Villa in the second half of this past season and they have every reason to look at him as a part of their long-term plans. The 23-year-old is regarded as a player with a mountain of potential and Villa might have a gem on their hands in the years to come should he go on to fulfil his promise.

Standing at 6ft.2 inches with an athletic and well-built frame, one of Hause’s main assets is his versatility. Essentially a centre-back by trade, Hause has the pace, sharpness and agility to operate as a left-back, owing to his left-footed nature.

A strong and powerful defender noted for his quick anticipation and good reading of the game at the back, the 23-year-old is also very strong in the air and often stays on his feet to clear the ball away to safety. Moreover, he is very good on the ball and boasts of the virtues of a modern-day dynamic ball-playing defender.

Hause’s ability to play at both centre-back and left-back should offer Smith a lot of cover in multiple areas of the pitch. Villa released the likes of Tommy Elphick, Alan Hutton and Mile Jedinak following their promotion to the Premier League and they certainly need to plan an overall defensive upgrade, with Hause and Mings a part of the plan.

Now that Villa have managed to make it back to the Premier League, they need to ensure that they have enough depth and quality in all areas of their squad to stay up in the top-flight.

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Keeping that in mind, the acquisition of Kortney Hause in a permanent deal could solve plenty of problems for the club. And £3 million of a player of his potential could prove to be an absolute steal for the Lions should he manage to deliver the goods next term.