Villa star: Gabby would “tear up the Championship given the opportunity”

Gabby Agbonlahor was once the Great Hope of Aston Villa fans. His performances in his first few seasons were breathtaking: a stunning combination of speed, agility, and finishing that made him one of the most-anticipated players in England. And for years after the bubble burst, he rode that idea to a starting position and even (yes, really) a captaincy with Aston Villa last year.

But it finally all came crashing down when Rémi Garde appeared and made Gabby a persona non grata. It was probably a move that was a year or two too late, but it was clear that the forward didn’t have much in the way of ambition, drive, or any of his skill left in him. So I don’t think anyone has been too bothered by the fact that he’s basically been absent this season.

But Aston Villa Ladies star Katie Wilkinson, who has likely trained alongside Gabby at Bodymoor Heath thinks that it might be time to give him another go:

Interesting. Katie is a big Villa fan outside of playing for the ladies, but she’s got no reason to go one way or another here. I’m inclined to trust her. Except, well... here, I’ll let someone else say exactly what I’m thinking:

“the night we got [relegated]” is what shows up in the next tweet. And yeah, I’m not too inclined to really want Gabby back. But Katie responds with some pretty good logic:

I’ve been so angry at Villa for so long that I’m just holding grudges. I’m mad at Gabby just as I was mad at Joleon Lescott. But if I take a step back and think about this logically, why should I care if he’s given another chance if he can help us? After all, the thing I want most is for the team to succeed.

I’m intrigued to see if Gabby does get another chance. Why not? It’s not as if this team can be much worse. Let him have a go, put him on a short leash, and be ready to pull the plug if need be. But you’ve convinced me, Katie. Throw him back in for a bit.