Frank Lampard’s Coventry City are set to sign former Preston North End defender, Kaine Kesler-Hayden.
The 22-year-old spent last season on loan at the Lancashire side from Aston Villa, featuring 51 times as he won Player of the Year at the club.
As reported by The Telegraph’s John Percy, Lampard’s Coventry will pay £3.5 million for the player, having beaten off competition from Middlesbrough and recently relegated Southampton.
Kesler-Hayden is a product of Villa’s youth academy but despite several successful loan spells, alongside signing a new deal just last summer, the club made the right-back available to help them avoid falling foul to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability regulations.
After spells at MK Dons, Huddersfield Town and Plymouth Argyle, the 22-year-old will now leave Villa Park having just made three Premier League appearances for the West Midlands club.
A Battle for First Choice?
The signing of Kesler-Hayden leaves some question marks over the future of current starter, Milan van Ewijk.
The 24-year-old Dutchman played 51 times for the Sky Blues last campaign. Whilst his first campaign at the CBS Arena was lauded as impressive by fans, his second left some things to be desired as inconsistencies crept into his game.
Some will say that Kaine Kesler-Hayden offers an upgrade, but the player is unfamiliar when it comes to playing higher up in the Championship. Whilst van Ewijk, at 24, could bring in a large fee, it is likely that Lampard will allow them to compete for the starting position, for Pre-Season at least.
The Villa defender will be the first signing of the window for Coventry, who look to build on a solid second half of last season, hoping to once again push for promotion to England’s topflight.
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