Anwar El Ghazi admits he misses Aston Villa after joining PSV Eindhoven in summer
Anwar El Ghazi spent four years at Villa Park before departing for PSV in the summer, and the Dutch winger has admitted he misses Aston Villa.
El Ghazi played a crucial role in Villa’s promotion season in 2018/19 and was a regular under Dean Smith, but Steven Gerrard’s arrival signalled the beginning of the end of his time at Villa Park.
The 27-year-old played only a handful of games under Gerrard, who deemed El Ghazi unfit to play to his style and formation. As a result, he moved on to Dutch side PSV in the summer.
But in a revealing interview with The Athletic, El Ghazi admits that he misses Aston Villa and that his only reason for leaving was Gerrard’s lack of faith in him.
“When I was on English soil again in the Europa League, it was like I was back home. I miss it a lot and yes, I miss Villa,” said El Ghazi.
“I’m always the guy who looks at myself first, so when things go wrong I’m not blaming anyone ever. But last season, I should have had more chances.”
“Against Brighton, I made a good run for Ollie Watkins and he scored, then in the next game at Crystal Palace, I assisted John McGinn, so I thought I could do it and get my opportunities but after that game, it felt like it was over.
“A lot of thoughts were already in my head. I knew I had to get ready to not be wanted.”
Gerrard’s mistake
Towards the end of Gerrard’s tenure, Aston Villa struggled massively for goals. The side created chances and even defended well at times, but goals were eluding the team.
If only Gerrard had El Ghazi on the bench – a direct winger who boasts an impressive scoring record and a fierce shot.
Gerrard obviously had to try and implement his own style at Villa Park, but completely ignoring the talent of El Ghazi may be one of his biggest regrets in hindsight.
Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings weren’t clinical enough to provide the goals, and when Jacob Ramsey and Philippe Coutinho’s goals dried up, there was no one else to turn to.
But El Ghazi proved time and time again during his spell at the club that he can provide big goals at great times. On top of that, he had the tendency to go on incredible scoring spells over five or six matches.
It could have been the difference between Gerrard keeping or losing his job, but his stubborn decision to offload El Ghazi came back to bite him.
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