Carles Gil likely to depart Villa, La Liga sides interested

In news that probably shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone, Carles Gil’s agent has indicated the player is looking to leave Aston Villa this summer, with a move to either the Premier League or a return to Spain’s La Liga the preferred destinations.

While Gil showed flashes of brilliance at Villa, especially early on, as his time at B6 went on, it became clearer and clearer that he just wasn’t physically suited for English football, or at least what Villa was trying to have him do. There’s no doubting that he’s a talented player, but he was never as influential at Villa Park as he was during his two seasons on loan at Elche, so a move likely makes sense for both sides.

The report (in Spanish) from Spain’s El Desmarque interviews Gil’s agent, identifying Celta Vigo, who had interest in the player last year, as a potential destination for the player.

"His intention is not to play in the Championship and to look for a team in the Premier League or Primera División," agent Fede Marco said.

As for that potential destination, Marco indicated there hasn’t been contact recently between the two sides, but he knows there’s interest from the Galician club, which finished last year’s La Liga campaign sixth, just four points out of the final Champions League spot.

"We have not spoken with Celta, but in the past we have been negotiating and know he is a player to their liking," Marco said. "[Celta] have made an offer for him, but Aston Villa did not accept."

With three years still left on his deal at Villa Park, it’s that latter part that could be a problem for Gil in getting his move away from the Claret and Blues — the report indicates Villa are looking to recoup what they spent (between £3 million and £4 million) on Gil 17 months ago when he was Paul Lambert’s last signing at Villa. But given Gil’s relative lack of quality displays since moving to the Villa, that could prove tougher than one might think, forcing Villa to make a key decision.

One saving grace for the new decision-makers at Villa is that there may be a handful of La Liga sides interested in moving for the player, with Real Betis joining Celta, Sevilla and Deportivo la Coruña as clubs who might come in for the Spaniard.

It appears Real Betis have joined the race to sign ex-Valencia winger Carles Gil from Aston Villa. Celta & Depor interested. @stighefootball

— Andrew Gaffney (@GaffneyVLC) June 2, 2016

These rumours make a lot of sense — Spanish sides will see the immense upside, remembering his quality performances for Elche in the league a few seasons back. And here’s my thought: Carles Gil is going to be a special footballer, but it seems pretty clear that’s not going to happen at Villa Park. So it’s best for both sides to move on, and hope to get more of an impact from our next options. If you’ve got a different one though, be sure to let us know in the comments!