Steven Gerrard has only been manager of Aston Villa since mid-November, but Gabriel Agbonlahor believes he’ll already have an idea of which players he wants to keep in January and which players he wants to sell.
The likes of Anwar El Ghazi, Trezeguet and Keinan Davis have been short of playing time this season as they’ve fallen down the pecking order. Agbonlahor doesn’t name players who could be given the axe but says Gerrard will know.
He told Football Insider: “If I was a player now, knowing Gerrard as a player and as a manager at Rangers, I’d be understanding what he wants quickly. He looks like a no-nonsense manager, he was a no-nonsense player.
“Players who aren’t on board, he will get rid of. He’s got the full backing of the board so players who are not on board with what he wants, he will look to sell and bring in players that are on board. I understand what he’s saying and he will do what is best for the team.”
El Ghazi has started only four Premier League games, Davis has started only one Premier League game and Trezeguet hasn’t featured at all, so all three players might be tipped for an exit when the winter transfer window opens.
But players leaving will mean Gerrard has to replace them and the January window isn’t long. Villa will have a month to get all their business done, so clubs don’t tend to have big turnovers in the squad midway through the season as a result.
Agbonlahor is right when he says Gerrard will know who he wants gone from the squad, but enacting his will isn’t easy.
In other news, fans on social media react as Wesley Moraes makes January transfer decision
