Aston Villa have enjoyed a lot of talent over the years, the club have been the home for a number of Premier League greats, including Manchester City winger Jack Grealish, who lifted the title last season after being raised as a professional at Villa Park.
In football, players come and go, whether it be in good nature or controversy, the game is constantly rolling in an influx of new talents and offloading expired names as each season runs by.
A fan-favourite at Villa Park was subject of a controversial ending to his career in the Midlands last summer, as Anwar El Ghazi departed the club to return to his homeland with PSV.
The 27-year-old made 105 appearances in both the Championship and Premier League over his four and a half seasons in claret and blue, scoring 21 goals and assisting 10 in the respective league competitions.
The Dutchman was an integral member of Villa’s promotion side in the 2018/19 season and continued his form into the top division where he was a valued member of the squad. The winger was praised by pundit Adrian Clarke for the “great balance” he offered to Villa as a dynamic wide player back in 2020, so where did it all go so suddenly wrong for El Ghazi?
What could have been for El Ghazi at Villa?
Steven Gerrard’s 11 months in charge of Villa was a tough time for the Englishman, made even tougher by his squad’s difficulty in adapting to his playing style, one that finally brought success back to Glasgow Rangers.
El Ghazi – who was once hailed as a "technician" and as "magnificent" by pundit Michael Brown – was one that came out of Gerrard’s regime worse off, as his system had little place for flank dominating wingers, with the preference placed on creativity coming from central midfield.
Subsequently, the Barendrecht-born winger went from a hero at Villa to an out-of-favour squad player, ending in a loan move to Everton that January. Things went from bad to worse for the wide man, as he appeared just twice for Everton in the half-season loan, ultimately bringing his time in England to a damning close.
Speaking to The Athletic last year, the Dutchman admitted he misses England and Villa “a lot” following his move to Eredivisie back where it started, this time with PSV, who paid just £3.5m for him in the summer.
The 27-year-old has had an impressive season in the Netherlands, seeing him contribute eight goals and two assists across 27 appearances in all competitions. These are returns that are more than the likes of Leon Bailey (seven G/A), Emi Buendia (seven G/A) and Philippe Coutinho (one G/A), including the latter two combined, as per WhoScored.
It’s good to see the winger enjoying his football again, El Ghazi was in the news last week for his converted penalty in the KNVB Cup final that saw PSV beat his boyhood club Ajax to the prize.
Things are now a case of what could have been for the attacker, as Emery has revolutionised Villa in his short time at the club so far.
The Spaniard admitted his wishes in January to sign a “specialist winger” which prompted a question of nostalgia to just how well the Dutch international could have fared had Emery arrived in the Midlands sooner.