Paul Lambert dipped into the January transfer market towards the latter part of last week to acquire Ryan Bertrand on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season. With his side still firmly ensconced in the relegation battle, the Aston Villa boss revealed the left-back’s temperament and abilities make him an ideal fit in his starting line-up:
“Ryan brings a lot of big-game experience, not only in the Barclays Premier League but even a Champions League final which Chelsea won, so he’ll be really good for us. The way he plays the game and as a person, too, he’ll fit in here great and it will be good for him also to be playing games. He has real enthusiasm for the game and he’s looking forward to playing here. We’re grateful to Chelsea for allowing him to come here on loan and we know he’ll be really good to work with.”
The History
A product of the Gillingham youth system, Bertrand was snapped up by Chelsea as a 15-year-old back in July 2005. Over his time at Stamford Bridge, the defender has struggled to find a way past Ashley Cole for the left-back berth – the switch to Villa is now the sixth time he has been sent out on loan.
Bertrand’s first spell away from the Bridge came at Bournemouth back in 2006/07, where he made five first-team appearances. The following year, he was on the move again – plying his trade at both Oldham (21 appearances) then Norwich (18 appearances, two assists) before spending the next season on loan at the Canaries, with 38 starts to his name.
Still unable to nail down a first-team place, the left-back then made his way to Reading in 2009/10, where he finished third in the voting for the club’s Player of the Season after 44 Championship games harvested one goal and a trio of assists. He then spent the first half of the following campaign farmed out to Nottingham Forest, making 19 appearances and producing a single assist, before returning to Chelsea midway through the season.
From January2011 onwards, Bertrand has mustered a mere 26 league appearances for the Blues, with only Cole’s absence through injury handing him minutes on the pitch. The 2012/13 term saw Bertrand earn a considerable amount of game time across all competitions – 19 league matches, 10 cup appearances and nine starts in Europe, producing a couple of goals and an assist.
The 24-year-old has represented England from Under-17 to Under-21 level a total of 31 times, whilst he has also turned out for the senior international side on two occasions.
The Prospects
Immediately installed to the Villa starting line-up for Saturday evening’s trip to Liverpool, Bertrand certainly looks to have leapt to the front of the queue for the left-back role under Lambert. The Scot has mainly fielded Antonio Luna on the left but, despite having the likes of fit-again Joe Bennett as an alternative, clearly feels Bertrand is an improvement on his current options.
Lambert’s penchant for switching systems could occasionally see Bertrand handed the role of a wing-back in a 3-5-2 formation, though the Villa manager’s favoured 4-3-3 is likely to allow the new boy attacking license and offer width to his side’s attack from deep.
Coming in at just 4.4 in Fantasy Premier League (4.7 in the Sky Sports game and 1.5 in the Sun Dream Team), Bertrand arrives at Villa Park just as the fixtures smile kindly for the midlands outfit.
For those eyeing up a cheap rotating defender, seven of his final eight home games look eye-catching (WBA, WHU, NOR, STO, FUL, SOU, HUL), whilst Villa’s schedule alternates well with West Ham and Cardiff. With an ownership of just 0.3%, Bertrand offers an alternative differential to Villa skipper Ron Vlaar (priced at 4.3) and, with Christian Benteke starting to rediscover his form up top, the left-back may even chip in with an assist or two if his delivery from the flank can find its way to the revitalised Belgian in the opposition area.
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