James Collins revealed he was too embarrassed to sign for Aston Villa after picking up a calf injury. The Welsh international had initially agreed a short-term deal with his former club before tearing up the contract after suffering the injury an hour later.
Collins went on to join Ipswich Town for the rest of the season and said in a recent interview that it “didn’t seem right” to agree a deal when he’d be sidelined for up to four weeks. He had been training with Villa for months but is now impressing in defence at Portman Road.
Collins told BBC Sport: “It just didn’t seem right. They offered me a short-term contract and I got injured the morning I signed the contract and I ripped that up. I literally signed the contract, went out to training and pulled my calf in the first warm-up session so I just went in and said ‘that’s not right to come in and take money’.
“I could have been out for four weeks and I said ‘let’s rip that up.’ It was probably more embarrassment more than anything”. At the time Collins turned Villa down, the club had been in the market for a centre-back. Elphick was unable to return until January, leaving Dean Smith with James Chester and Axel Tuanzebe.
Kortney Hause has been recruited but his debut didn’t exactly go to plan. Chester’s form hasn’t been at the same level as last season either. Villa are currently 12th on the Championship this season, coming off the back of only one win in their last seven. Ipswich’s gain might well be Villa’s loss.
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Opinion: Aston Villa should sign Newcastle outcast in January
