Frederic Guilbert free to leave Aston Villa when transfer window reopens in January – report
Defender Frederic Guilbert is free to leave Aston Villa when the transfer window opens in January, according to Birmingham Live.
The right-back last featured for Aston Villa’s first-team against Barrow last year and has been banished to play with the under-21s this season.
The report suggests that Villa’s stance on the player hasn’t changed since the arrival of Unai Emery and Villa’s sporting director Johan Lange has told Guilbert to find a new club.
“Villa’s sporting director Johan Lange has told Guilbert and his representatives to find a new club in January,” wrote journalist Ashley Preece as quoted by Birmingham Live.
“Villa will, though, struggle to obtain a transfer fee for the 27-year-old and, instead, might have to shake hands on a new club buying out the remainder of Guilbert’s contract which runs until June 2023.”
Good decision.
If Guilbert has failed to impress new coach Emery alongside being banished by Steven Gerrard it seems this is the right decision for all parties involved.
There’s no point having a player on your books who is simply eating away at the wage bill, the Villans will be better off without the defender.
A new manager usually brings about a fresh slate for an out of favour player but Emery’s arrival has done the complete opposite in this case.
Whether Villa will be able to recoup any of the £5million they paid for the defender from Caen is up for debate.
It seems highly unlikely, however, given his extreme lack of game time and failure to impress different coaches.
You would have thought the Frenchman’s swashbuckling style would have suited Emery’s attack-minded play, nevertheless, overcoming Matty Cash may be a step too far for him.
Au Revoir Guilbert and best of luck on your future football endeavours.
In other Aston Villa news, Ollie Watkins admits Unai Emery delivered Manchester United game plan minutes before kick-off