Aston Villa’s striker, Gabriel Agbonlahor, has been told by manager Steve Bruce that he could land a new contract but has also stated that he must prove himself in order to extend his stay at the Villa Park.
Agbonlahor’s current deal with the Championship outfit expires at the end of the season, which implies that he would be able to negotiate with other clubs in January and pan out his future with a different club.
Agbonlahor emerged through the youth ranks of the Villans and is the club’s longest-serving player currently, having played for 388 games across all competitions for his current employers.
Besides, he is also their leading Premier League goal-getter as he has 73 top division goals to his name and it goes without saying that he has been a faithful servant for his club. However, in the recent times, the scenarios haven’t been pretty much in his favour.
The 31-year-old has had fitness issues frequently of late and has recently arrived back in training after a serious calf muscle tear. So far this season in the English second division, he has been able to accumulate merely 4 Championship appearances to his name and garnered 1 goal and 1 assist.
Under the tactical nous of Bruce, Agbonlahor has fallen down in the pecking order owing to the likes of Scott Hogan, Jonathan Kodjia and Keinan Davis being listed in the books of the manager.
Thus, the extension of his contract is an arguable proposition. The Lions are unarguably one of the sides who have seemingly appeared to be capable of mounting a serious challenge for promotion to the Premier League.
Kodjia is due to return from his injury next season and now is certainly the time for Agbonlahor to step up. Aston Villa runs through his blood and if the Claret & Blues get back to the top division, Agbonlahor’s undeniable experience would certainly be beneficial for them.
It has to be mentioned that he is no longer the player who he used to be once and hardly justifies the handsome weekly wages of £55,000 that he pockets. His pace has reduced and goals have dried up and it is disheartening to see him fighting his own demons.
With the emergence of Davis, his position has diminished further but given that Bruce is ready to hand him an extension provided he enhances his productivity, he should make the most of every opportunity that he gets and make himself count in the coming fixtures.
