Villa ‘not planning’ to keep Elmohamady
Ahmed Elmohamady is in the final year of his contract at Aston Villa and doesn’t have a new deal on the table, so he’s expected to move on at the end of the season. Football Insider say Dean Smith is ‘not planning’ to keep the 33-year-old beyond the summer and will replace him with Frederic Guilbert.
Elmo has played second-fiddle to Matty Cash this season and has struggled for consistency when given rare starts by Smith, so Villa are understandably looking to upgrade in his position.
Guilbert is the obvious option at right-back as he’s playing regularly on loan at Racing Strasbourg and has had a hand in three goals from four Ligue 1 games (Transfermarkt) since temporarily leaving in January. The 26-year-old has made 31 appearances for Villa, but his last outing came back in October 2020.
The plan is for Guilbert to return to Bodymoor Heath over the summer and fight Cash for a starting place. Failing that, he’ll be retained as backup and may be given opportunities where possible to ensure he stays sharp.
READ ASTON VILLA VERDICT
It’s a good problem for Smith to have, but whether Guilbert is happy in a subsidiary role remains to be seen.