Coventry City are claimed to be “leading the race” to sign Aston Villa’s Kaine Kesler-Hayden who has just completed his fifth loan spell, and third in the Championship as part of his progressive development plan.
The 22-year-old defender has played recent seasons as a right wing-back and made a clean sweep of at the end of season awards at his latest club, Preston North End, where he got the fans’ vote for Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year.
Villa’s former youth team captain is reported by The Sun’s transfer specialist Alan Nixon to be nearing the end of his time at the Premier League club who are said to ready to part company with the player for £5m plus extras.
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With that in mind, we have spoken to two football writers who have enjoyed watching Kesler-Hayden at first hand during loans spells at Preston North End and Plymouth Argyle over the last couple of seasons to get an insight into the player’s qualities. First up, Preston correspondent for the Lancashire Evening Post, George Hodgson.
Overview of his time at Deepdale
“He was really impressive. He was signed by Ryan Lowe but wasn’t the first choice wing-back option but Preston had been playing that system for a while and I always thought he was someone staring them in the face to go and get on loan, and he came in at the perfect time after his loans at Huddersfield and Plymouth.
“He made his first start in Paul Heckingbottom’s first game in charge, when I actually think he played at left wing-back, but he went from strength to strength and was really popular with the fans.
“He showed electric speed up and down the right flank and was probably underrated as a defender. With his speed you sort of think his attacking qualities are his best but he was very rarely beaten one v one or caught out in the wrong position and he commanded the box well for his size. Overall he was a really impressive loan and one of those who we’re all sad to see go.”
As for his triple win in the end of season awards, he added: “There wasn’t too much competition if I am honest but he fully deserved all three awards, getting the fans’ vote, players’ player and young player of the year.”
Kaine Kesler Hayden
Coventry City are reported to be 'leading the race' for Aston Villa full-back Kaine Kesler-Hayden (Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Standout attributes and strengths
“The wing-back position is so demanding that it’s really difficult to find players who can get up and down the pitch but, athletically, he’s fit as a fiddle and can go for 90 minutes. He can do the defensive role as well as offering an attacking threat, and I think it will be the attacking side of his game that will take him to the next level in terms of assists and goals, crossing and linking up in the final third.
“He gets into areas brilliantly and is at a really good stage of his career, really, and I think he’d be a very solid addition (for Coventry).”
He added: “He played mainly as a wing-back for North End but I think he would be better in a back four to be honest because it doesn’t mean he has to go forward every time. And he can play on both sides as well. He’s pretty right footed but he did a really good job on the left when required to fill in.”
Anything to work on
“Some of his play with the ball can look a little bit messy at times, he can look a little bit erratic but he tends to wriggle his way out of trouble and gets away from players very easily, so maybe just tidy his game up a little bit on the ball. And I think he’d probably be the first to admit that, and then when he gets into the final third having that cross to pick a striker out or his decision making to make the right pass or put the cross into the right area. But the game is moving towards players needing pace and power, and he’s definitely got that.
Character and relationship with fans
“He’s quality. You don’t see many posting on social media but he does a lot of that and he’s just a really nice lad. He did more than his fair share of media duties, probably more than any other player including ahead of the last day of the season which was a huge and worrying game and he was put up to front up and speak for the team, so he was really good to deal with. He had good energy, positivity and a great appetite for the game. He was very infectious to watch and speak to and I can’t speak highly enough of him really.
“It will be tough to see him play for another Championship team but he’ll get a quality reception if he comes back.
“There were a few fans singing ‘One more year, one more year...’ so they obviously wanted him to come back.”
Next step
“He’s had five loans now and I think he’ll be looking to go to that next level, and I think he’s a top ten Championship player, for sure.
“I think he could play some good games in the Premier League but I am not sure he would stand out, so it might be a challenge at this stage of his career, but I think he’s pretty comfortable with the Championship now. He was humble enough when I asked him at the end of his spell if he’d be more than happy to come back (to the level) and I think a club like Coventry who have better players and an environment like that where they will be expected to be part of a top six finish.
“He’s not really had that pressure on him yet because at Preston they were very mid-table and up and down, and then battling relegation in the end. So I would expect him to want to go to a top six club who really want to have a go at it.”
Here Chris Errington from out sister titles, the Plymouth Herald/PlymouthLive, gives his take on Kesler-Hayden.
Overview of his time at Argyle
“Kaine joined Argyle for the start of the 2023/24 season following their promotion from League One. At the time he was only 20 but it was his fourth loan from Aston Villa after previous loans at Swindon Town, MK Dons and Huddersfield Town.
“Sometimes it takes young players from Premier League clubs time to get up to the speed and the intensity of playing first team football but that was not an issue for Kaine at Argyle because of the experience he had gained working his way up through the EFL ladder from Swindon, to MK Dons and then to Huddersfield.
“Kaine played in an attack-minded Argyle side with the likes of Finn Azaz, Luke Cundle and Morgan Whittaker in it and had the versatility to play either at right or left wing-back. He was signed on a season-long loan but Aston Villa unexpectedly recalled him in January and he was a regular on the bench for their first team over the rest of the season, coming off the bench four times, including in a Europa Conference League tie away to Olympiakos.”
Jack Rudoni of Huddersfield Town in action with Kaine Kesler-Hayden of Plymouth Argyle during the Sky Bet Championship match.
Kaine Kesler-Hayden in action during his loan spell at Plymouth Argyle (Image: Ed Sykes/Getty Images)
Standout attributes/strengths
“Kaine clearly has an attacking mindset as a player, someone who likes to get forward whenever possible, which is why the wing-back role suited him so well at Argyle. He also comes across as a very positive person, which is always a strength for a professional footballer.”
Things to work on
“I did not see too much of him last season when he was on loan at Preston but he started 41 of their Championship matches and played as a substitute in another three so they clearly rated him. During his time at Argyle one of the things he needed to improve on was his defensive concentration as he could occasionally get caught out by an alert, smart-thinking attacker.”
Character/relationship with the fans
“Kaine was only with Argyle for five months but for a young player he seemed to fit in well into the squad and the fans took to him because while he was clearly still learning his trade he was quite an exciting player to watch.”
Next step
“I would have thought another season of regular Championship football would be his aim, whoever that is with. He has had brief Premier League experience with Aston Villa and while playing at that level is a huge step up from the Championship he is only 22 and still has plenty of time on his side to further develop and improve his game.”
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