Stoke City are showing interest in signing Aston Villa centre-back James Chester on loan, with TEAMtalk suggesting that they have taken pole position to sign the 31-year-old.
The cult hero has only played twice this campaign, so could be allowed to leave in order to get more minutes on the pitch.
Judging by the responses to villareport’s tweet about the potential move, the feeling towards it is very mixed.
Having put his body on the line for the club last season, playing through injury, there are some Villa fans who feel that they should allow Chester to leave the club if he wants to.
One has suggested that it would be “not fair” for Villa to stop him leaving, while another has suggested that the club should “do whatever is good for him”.
Did he really play for us?! No Villa fan has managed to name all of these obscure Villans….
There is also a claim made that they should “give him a lifetime contract”, as well as letting him leave temporarily.
The fondness felt towards him has also manifested itself within some fans as an unwillingness to see him leave Villa Park.
Chester has played a total of 126 games for the club, scoring 11 goals and providing an assist, with his aforementioned sacrifice last season playing an important role in promotion to the Premier League.
Despite his lack of minutes this season, having spent time recovering from that injury, fans want to see him stick around in the hope that he can go on to make an impact.
Meanwhile, a journalist has detailed what Villa can expect ahead of the transfer deadline.