West Brom in hunt to sign Kortney Hause as Aston Villa issue emerges
West Brom are one of a number of Championship clubs hoping to sign Aston Villa defender Kortney Hause according to Darren Witcoop.
The Sunday Mirror journalist reported on July 20 that Carlos Corberan’s side are monitoring the 28-year-old defender but are wary of his recent injury record.
Hause spent the 2022-23 season on loan with fellow Championship side Watford but was limited to only three Championship appearances as he was ruled out for almost the entirety of the campaign with a knee injury.
Taking to Twitter, Witcoop wrote: “Kortney Hause [is] one to keep an eye on. West Brom among the Championship clubs who have Hause on their list but the defender has been hampered with a knee issue that wrecked a loan spell at Watford last season.”
Injury issues are no new factor for the 28-year-old defender who last played more than ten league games in a season in 2020 and it remains to be seen whether the Baggies’ reported interest develops into a genuine bid.
A gamble
West Brom’s financial situation has been well documented heading into this transfer window, Corberan and his coaching team are working off of a shopping list limited to loans and free agents and therefore they have to be rather particular with where they do their business this summer.
Hause may be a deal that can be done cheaply, his lack of playing time in recent seasons would surely see any permanent transfer fee paid cut in price and you’d have to imagine any loan fee would be decreased when there is no guarantee he will actually be available.
But even if done cheaply, this is the sort of gamble that you don’t really West Brom should be taking on when there is already a level of financial uncertainty at the Hawthorns. Hause made his professional debut all the way back in 2012 and since then has only managed to play 186 matches.
Yet the fact that even with that poor fitness record he remains on the books at Villa Park until 2025 shows the quality he does possess if you can keep him fit and healthy. For a club with loads of depth and financial resources, signing Hause may be a gamble worth taking, but for the Baggies, it feels like one that could be too risky.
In other West Brom news, Nathaniel Chalobah is expected to confirm his Hawthorns exit on Thursday