‘So happy’: Some fans react to signing Aston Villa man tipped to develop into ‘real top’ player

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James Bree has departed Aston Villa after three-and-a-half years on the Villa Park books.

The 22-year-old right-back joined the Villans in January 2017 from Barnsley for a “substantial fee”, making his debut on 4 February in a 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest.

However, Bree was unable to establish himself in the Villa first team, making just 28 competitive senior appearances in all competitions.

While on Villa’s books, the defender spent time on loan at Ipswich and Luton, and was particularly impressive in the latter stint.

Bree made 42 appearances for Luton and emerged as one of the stars of their successful relegation battle, the Hatters surviving on the last day of the Championship campaign.

Luton announced a double signing on Tuesday, with Bree joining alongside Tom Lockyer as Nathan Jones looks to bolster his ranks ahead of the 2020-21 season in the second tier.

And plenty of Hatters fans are delighted with Bree returning on a permanent basis, taking to social media to rejoice:

On Bree’s arrival, Jones told the official Luton website: “We are delighted to add Breesy on a permanent basis. I really enjoyed working with him at the end of last season, and he’s nowhere near his ceiling yet. He’s of a great age, got great athleticism and with our track record at full-back, he was someone I was delighted to add.

“We only had one right-back on our list and we went all out to get him. It’s a great coup for the club and he will only get better.

“He’s shown a real commitment to want to come to the club permanently, and we are delighted to have him because we have real high hopes for him, firstly to establish himself in our team and then establish himself as a top Championship right-back.

“He’s a great fit with what we like to do here. We like to get them at a real good age, put real good work into them, give them a platform to play and then develop them into real top full-backs, real top players, and we believe that James is in that category.”