Agbonlahor rages at Aston Villa star he wants Emery to axe after shocker v Brentford
Gabby Agbonlahor was far from happy despite Aston Villa battling to a 1-0 victory against Brentford on Saturday evening.
Agbonlahor scored 86 goals in 391 appearances for Villa, and is still a well-liked figure among supporters of the West Midlands club.
However, he was less than impressed with Leon Bailey, who was taken off at half time for Matty Cash.
Agbonlahor questions Bailey’s spot in the Villa team
Bailey has scored just one goal in 23 Premier League appearances this season, which has come as a major disappointment after he hit double figures last term.
Villa were handed a free-kick in a threatening position towards the end of the first-half, while they were drawing 0-0 with Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
However, Bailey was unable to make good use of his side’s set-piece from 20 yards out, as he could only strike the ball straight into the Brentford wall.
| Leon Bailey stats | 2024/25 Premier League |
| Appearances | 23 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 2 |
Agbonlahor believes it may be time for change, and posted on X: “Never like to criticise players but Leon Bailey??
“How is he still playing for us?
“Offers zero, even that free kick sums him up.
“Poor, poor player this season, give (Donyell) Malen a run of games.”
Bailey has underperformed for Aston Villa this term
The fact that a Villa cult hero such as Agbonlahor has questioned Bailey’s performances, and in particular his poor free-kick against Brentford, will not come as a surprise to supporters.
Last season, Bailey showed the great heights he can reach as he notched 10 goals and nine assists in 35 Premier League appearances, which helped the West Midlands side land a Champions League spot.
Following such exploits last term, the Villa Park faithful would have wanted so much more from Bailey this campaign, but he has failed to meet expectations and has not been able to make himself a regular on the scoresheet.
Perhaps the wideman’s lack of goal contributions this season is all the more frustrating for Villa fans to take after the strong season he had just last term.
Meanwhile, even this season, he has shown glimpses of the quality he has in his locker as he scored a sweetly struck volley during the 3-1 win over Club Brugge in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie on Tuesday, 4 March.
Bailey also scored during Villa’s 2-1 win over Leicester back in January, but his failure to deliver consistently has clearly beckoned criticism.
It may be time to take him out of the spotlight.