Hutton to join Sheffield Wednesday

Fan favourite Alan Hutton is on his way to Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday according to Alan Nixon of the Sun.

We first heard that Sheffield Wednesday was interested in the ‘Scottish Cafu’ earlier in the summer but the link appeared to die down when Hutton denied he would be leaving Villa when a fan asked about it on his Instagram account but the rumour has resurfaced this morning.

Hutton has become a fans favourite at Villa Park in recent seasons because of his ‘never say die’ attitude and someone who appears to give his all even if there are better players available to the manager. He doe’s still split the fans though with some saying he is a big weakness in our side but how does he compare to others at the club?

Finances

We can never truly know exactly how much every player earns at Aston Villa. We all had a rough idea of what each player earns at Premiership level but some stated that each player had their wages reduced when we got relegated. This has never been confirmed by anyone although I do remember Keith Wyness mentioning in an interview on BBC WM that the one thing the previous regime did well was having clauses in the player’s contract once we were relegated. What that actually means? Only Keith knows.

For this purpose, I have found the most recent article I can find and it comes from the Daily Star. Reliable or not? I will let you make up your own mind.

Alan Hutton is on a reported £30,000 a week and is one of five players who can play in the right back position. Micah Richards is on £50,000, while James Bree is on around £1,200. Richie De Laet earns around £25,000 and I would expect new signing Ahmed Elmohamady is on a similar salary.

By those reported figures it would mean Aston Villa are spending a little over £135,000 a week on right backs. You can see why we are looking to move one or two on. Micah Richards is the obvious choice but you need to find suitors.

The Stats

Whether you are a statistics person or not – the one thing you can guarantee about them is they are fact. You can’t argue with a stat! As always, I will get the stats from Whoscored.com.

Alan Hutton made 33 appearances last season despite his runs into the opposition half he only contributed to a single assist. Of course, as a defender, that isn’t the stat that matter though.

Defensively he averaged 1.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions a game. He also contributed to 4.6 clearances and 0.4 blocks a game.

Hutton did play more games than others (a lot more) but De Laet averaged 2.3 tackles in the three appearances he made. Elmohamady rivalled Hutton with the interceptions as both achieved 1.5. Richards actually achieved 2 but only played a single game.

Hutton has the clearances stat to himself really with Bree coming the closest with 4.4 (Again, Richards achieved 5 in the single game he played). The blocks were the Scottish defenders too.

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The Verdict

Hutton has one year left on his contract and is due to turn 33 in November but as I have already stated, he is a fan favourite with a majority of Aston Villa supporters but is that enough?

His reported wages aren’t cheap and will he be the first choice this season? We could look at new signing Glenn Whelan who had been at Stoke for 9 years. Mark Hughes has looked to replace him on more than one occasion but his determination and effort beat off any competition. Could Hutton do the same?

Compared to Richards, Hutton is a model professional. He has always been very well behaved since he has been at Aston Villa despite once being put in the famous ‘Bomb Squad’. He appears happy and settled in Birmingham.

I will be honest and say I am unsure what the answer is. Should we sell him or not? One thing is for sure – Sheffield Wednesday would be gaining a player that would always give everything on the football pitch that he has to offer. The problem is what he has to offer, is it enough?