Aston Villa agreed terms with goalkeeper Jed Steer back in January over extending his stay at the club until 2020, according to the Birmingham Mail.
The newspaper claim on their website that the 26-year-old shot stopper sealed a one year extension to his deal at the club after returning from loan at Charlton Athletic, originally acting as backup for Lovre Kalinic after Orjan Nyland’s serious injury blow.
However the English keeper has established himself as Dean Smith’s first choice between the sticks after Kalinic’s was forced out through concussion and has featured in the Villans’ last six league games.
Opinion
A well deserved new contract – although that would not have been the thinking back in January. It was clear the Villa decision makers wanted to keep him tied to the club over the summer, but whether that is to ensure they got a decent price if they chose to sell up is unclear. Still, his rise from senior outcast to first choice goalkeeper is testament to his dedication to the cause, not to mention that he is a fine shot stopper. He might not be a big name or have the flair of Kalinic or Nyland but what he does do is keep it simple and do everything that is expected of him. Will he be first choice next season? Probably not, but he certainly looks to be a competent number two option should the man ahead of him suffer an injury or a severe dip of form. That is the cruelty of being a goalkeeper – one hole for multiple pegs. Steer has done well to make himself the man filling the gap right now, but he has to understand that Villa are going to be looking for an upgrade sooner rather than later.