Jaden Philogene ‘not needed at Aston Villa’: Fury after transfer exits
Aston Villa are struggling because they had to sell their best players and buy replacements not at the same level due to profit and sustainability rules, according to a furious Gabby Agbonlahor.
With a run of eight games without a win and a damning 3-0 loss to top-four rivals Chelsea, Aston Villa have come under scrutiny for their transfer business.
In the summer, they sold Douglas Luiz to Juventus and Moussa Diaby to Al-Ittihad to comply with profit and sustainability rules (PSR), sparking outrage from the pundit.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Villa’s record goalscorer suggested players such as Ross Barkley and Jaden Philogene are players who not what Unai Emery needs in order to compete, while also singling out Leon Bailey for doing “nothing” this term.
Agbonlahor said: “How can you, as a club like Aston Villa, finish in the top four and because of the stupid PSR rules, have to sell before you buy?”
He added: “You bring in Barkley, a decent player, but he just got relegated with Luton. Philogene, decent player, but not at the level for what Aston Villa need, he just came from the Championship.”
Aston Villa needed to strengthen the quality of the squad
Football Insider opinion
It’s difficult to judge the Lions this season because just a few weeks ago, they topped the Champions League table.
They find themselves stuck in a rut. They have five losses in their last eight matches. Emery has attributed that to the fact his team is “not a surprise like last year” [Sky Sports].
Players like Barkley and Philogene need to make an immediate impact, given the increased number of fixtures this season. However, their performances have yet to match the impact of players like Luiz and Diaby. They upgraded on Philogene with Diaby last summer, but reversing that switch felt like a step backwards.
Goals are few and far between for Villa currently, as they have now failed to score in four of their last five games in all competitions.
However, there is still hope for the team with two upcoming home fixtures so there is hope Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran can rediscover their early-season scoring form.
They’re against sides with the worst away records in the league this season. Brentford (six matches) and Southampton (seven matches) have both earned just one point on the road. They have also conceded 25 goals each.
Emery needs to find new solutions or utilise his squad more effectively if they are to sustain a challenge for European spots.
In other Aston Villa news, Malik Tillman is ‘one to watch’ as they could make a January move for the American.
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