Steve Bruce has revealed that veteran defender Alan Hutton is not being handed a new contract because the club cannot afford to offer him one.
The Villans are in a position where spending has to be massively limited after heavy outlays in previous campaigns has left them in danger of breaching UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations.
And Bruce has now revealed the extent of the club’s precarious financial position, which is the main reason behind their decision to not offer 33-year-old Hutton a new contract at Villa Park.
As quoted by the Birmingham Mail, Bruce said: “I think I said to Alan, I had to be honest with him to say, ‘Look, at this position where we are we’re not in a position to offer anybody a new contract. The way the situation with the club is in finances and Financial Fair Play and I think we all need to know where we are, whether we’re in the Championship or we’re in the Premier League – if we’re in the Championship we’ll have to cut, it’s as straightforward as that.
“I’ve spoken to the people above me and we’re not in a position to offer anybody a new contract just yet. Alan Hutton has been in a situation where I’ve been here for 15 months and he’s done terrifically well. But we’ll have to look after the club and sometimes my job is to look after the club too.
“Let’s see where we are and see what happens. It’s not the end of the world for Alan Hutton because I’ve no doubt there will be takers from what we’re seeing at the moment. For a 33-year-old, it’s quite remarkable his fitness levels and what he trains like every day. He knows what I think of him but at this situation in time we’re not in a position to go forward with any of them.”
Hutton has been at Aston Villa since 2011, but that time has been punctuated by three loan spells at Nottingham Forest, Mallorca and Bolton Wanderers.
Since returning to the club, Hutton had signed a new three-year deal which takes him to this summer, but that is unlikely to be extended now due to the club’s financial problems, and he is looking likely to exit the club in a few months.
OPINION
It was a bit of a surprise to hear that Villa were not going to offer Hutton a new deal. Even a one-year extension would have been a good move for the club, with the veteran defender providing great cover and experience in the squad. However, now that the reasons behind the decision have been explained, it makes much more sense. Hutton still may be offered a new contract if Villa achieve promotion to the Premier League once again, but that is yet to be seen. It will worry Villa fans to hear that they are not even able to offer contract extensions, and hopes will be pinned on promotion. If that does not happen, then Villa may be in a seriously bad situation come next season.