Frederic Guilbert’s future at Aston Villa is complicated. The 26-year-old isn’t commanding a regular starting place under Dean Smith as Matty Cash and Ahmed Elmohamady are ahead of him in the pecking order, but the Frenchman will be needed next season when the Egyptian’s contract expires.
Until then, however, Football Insider claimed that Smith is open to letting Guilbert leave on loan for the remainder of the season and could agree a deal with Istanbul Basaksehir. The Turkish Super Lig side have opened talks with Villa and could have success in landing his signature.
Guilbert joined Villa in January 2019 and has gone on to make 31 appearances in all competitions. The Frenchman hasn’t made a Premier League appearance since July 2020, however, so he could benefit from getting regular playing time elsewhere.
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Istanbul Basaksehir are struggling in the Turkish Super Lig, sitting 12th in the table with the fourth-worst defensive record in the division (28 goals conceded), so it’s no surprise that Okan Buruk wants to bolster his backline.
It remains to be seen whether Guilbert can nail down a regular spot, however, as Rafael has been a regular at right-back this season while Junior Caicara, Ugur Ucar and Muhammed Sarikaya have provided backup, so there might be a lot of competition for playing time.
At the moment, all the Frenchman can do is hope that, whether in Birmingham or Istanbul, he can get more football under his belt after a frustrating 2020.
