Tommy Elphick - signed for Huddersfield

[David_Nab]

I suspect if he is Injured , Chester will be patched up next week

[JD]

Sorry to hear about Tommy's injury but at least we now have some options.

[Brassneck]

Ideally, I'd like Chester to come in as it's only 1 change whereas moving Hause over means changing 3 positions.  That said, I'd have to be sure that Chester was ready because he was woeful prior to being taken out of the firing line.

[Richard]

Chester would at least be playing on the right side.

[Rudy65]

We could do worse than offering him another years contract.  Hope he's back quickly.

Definitely, we should. He has been decent since he came back

[mr underhill]

are we going to be able to  a contract next year, given our financial state?

[Steve67]

are we going to be able to  a contract next year, given our financial state?

I'm sure the owners will pull some amazing sponsorship deal out of the bag to tide us over.

[Brassneck]

Would Elphick be happy going back to being a squad player though?  I can't see him starting ahead of Chester, or Axel if we get him on loan again.

He's been OK since he came back, nothing more.  1 game recently (possibly Stoke) he made a couple of his special errors that were almost costly.  I don't think he can play the ball out of defence either - As Smith would like.

Me personally, I think it's the right time for him to move on.  It hasn't quite worked as well as he would have hoped here.  However, his attitude and commitment have been first class and I would wish him well if he decided to take advantage of being out of contract.

[adrenachrome]

Express & Star

Aston Villa defender Tommy Elphick ruled out for six weeks with foot injury

Villa have been dealt a serious blow after defender Tommy Elphick was ruled out for around six weeks with a foot injury.

By Matt Maher | Aston Villa | Published: 1 hour ago

Elphick left Saturday’s 4-0 win over Derby on a stretcher and a scan has since revealed he tore a ligament at the base of his foot.

Though not as serious as first feared, the injury is expected to keep the 31-year-old sidelined until mid-April.

The timing is dreadful for both Elphick and Villa, who are aiming to mount a late play-off charge following the return to fitness of Jack Grealish.

With Alan Hutton also facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an ankle injury, boss Dean Smith suddenly finds himself with a paucity of options in a defence still missing both Axel Tuanzebe and captain James Chester.

The latter pair are not expected back until after this month’s international break at the earliest, meaning Villa must enter a potentially season-defining week with loan duo Kortney Hause and Tyrone Mings as their only recognised centre-backs.

Smith’s men face promotion rivals Blues, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough in the space of seven days, beginning with this Sunday’s Second City derby at St Andrew’s.

Elphick, meanwhile, has seen his hopes of earning a new deal at Villa Park suffer a setback.

The former Bournemouth skipper, one of several players out of contract in the summer, had started Villa’s last 10 Championship games after being recalled by Smith from Hull, where he spent the first half of the season on loan.

[Toronto Villa]

Lazy journalism alert. I don’t see how getting injured has anything to with him getting a new deal or not. Surely the achieving of new deal is so much more than that. His play was good, he’s a solid person and leader around the club and at 31 not at all past it.

[wolfman999]

Express & Star

Aston Villa defender Tommy Elphick ruled out for six weeks with foot injury

Villa have been dealt a serious blow after defender Tommy Elphick was ruled out for around six weeks with a foot injury.

By Matt Maher | Aston Villa | Published: 1 hour ago

Elphick left Saturday’s 4-0 win over Derby on a stretcher and a scan has since revealed he tore a ligament at the base of his foot.

Though not as serious as first feared, the injury is expected to keep the 31-year-old sidelined until mid-April.

The timing is dreadful for both Elphick and Villa, who are aiming to mount a late play-off charge following the return to fitness of Jack Grealish.

With Alan Hutton also facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an ankle injury, boss Dean Smith suddenly finds himself with a paucity of options in a defence still missing both Axel Tuanzebe and captain James Chester.

The latter pair are not expected back until after this month’s international break at the earliest, meaning Villa must enter a potentially season-defining week with loan duo Kortney Hause and Tyrone Mings as their only recognised centre-backs.

Smith’s men face promotion rivals Blues, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough in the space of seven days, beginning with this Sunday’s Second City derby at St Andrew’s.

Elphick, meanwhile, has seen his hopes of earning a new deal at Villa Park suffer a setback.

The former Bournemouth skipper, one of several players out of contract in the summer, had started Villa’s last 10 Championship games after being recalled by Smith from Hull, where he spent the first half of the season on loan.

How many black cats have we run over ffs. Can't we ever get a break (no pun intended) It seems like no sooner do we get one back than another player is out for weeks/months.

[Clampy]

I suspect if he is Injured , Chester will be patched up next week

I hope not. The point of bringing in Mings and Hause was so we didn't have to do that. I'd personally put Hause in for Elphick and play Taylor.

[eamonn]

You play Taylor and watch the opposition have a field day on his side again. He's mince.

[Axl Rose]

Taylor....shudders.

[chrisw1]

Lazy journalism alert. I don’t see how getting injured has anything to with him getting a new deal or not. Surely the achieving of new deal is so much more than that. His play was good, he’s a solid person and leader around the club and at 31 not at all past it.

Of course it does.  If he played through to the end of the season in really good form it would have made a great case for a new contract.  As it is he's had a decent spell but it may well not be enough to convince Smith he is right for the long term.