Aston Villa legend Gabby Agbonlahor has said that Aston Villa should sign Raheem Sterling and that supporters have no reason to oppose such a deal.
According to multiple reports in the English media, Sterling has been made available for transfer after being told by Mauricio Pochettino that he is “not in the plans”. Aston Villa are one of the clubs interested in signing him and are said to have already made contact with Chelsea, but not yet directly with the player. Villa may struggle to match the player’s Chelsea wages but can offer Champions League football.
Agbonlahor, who made 391 appearances for Villa and is the club’s all-time Premier League top scorer, said: “I’m thinking ‘why not?’ Sterling is 29 years old, we’re not talking about someone in their late 30s. At the start of last season we were saying, ‘Why wasn’t he in Gareth Southgate’s squad?’ He was in good form, Chelsea were a mess last season, players didn’t get a chance to prove themselves, which meant a lot of Chelsea players had a bad season”.
Agbonlahor believes that fans have no reason to oppose such a signing: “If it’s right, and the club want to do it, then why wouldn’t fans be in support? When Sterling is managed properly by a top manager like Unai Emery, he’s a top player. I’m sure he’ll be at his best”.
Villa already have a number of attacking players such as Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey and Jhon Duran, but Agbonlahor believes another strong contender would be good: “Competition is good. Watkins was lucky to escape injury last season, but you know in football, players get injured sometimes and you need options. There’s been talk about Duran needing a bit of management and guidance but he’s shown his talent as well. Plus, the team’s in the Champions League, so it’s difficult for players to play every Tuesday and Saturday. You need competition for places. All in all, Villa have got the funds to do some deals in the last week of the window and if Sterling or someone else comes in, I won’t be surprised”.
Agbonlahor also criticised Chelsea: “The way they treat players is a disgrace. They are becoming a club that other teams wouldn’t want to be associated with. Yeah, you might not want a player but you’re throwing them aside, not allowing them to use the training facilities, not letting them in the canteen… you can’t do that, you can’t treat players like absolute rubbish!”
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