Premie League club Aston Villa were in the limelight last summer transfer window as they sold their club captain Jack Grealish to Manchester City for an English record transfer fee. But we look back at another significant departure from the club years ago. They sold Christian Benteke to fellow Premier League side Liverpool back in 2015.
The Belgium striker joined Aston Villa back in the summer of 2012. He joined for a reported transfer fee close to £7m from Genk. The striker really enjoyed and shined during his time with Aston Villa. He made a total of 101 appearances across all competitions for the lions. The striker made a name for himself in the Premier League straight away and fitted right in with the league’s best attackers. In this time he recorded an impressive 49 goals. On top of that, he recorded 12 assists during this time. (stats via Transfermarkt)
Fellow Premier League side Liverpool came calling for the Belgium striker in the 2015 summer transfer window. Aston Villa sold the striker for a reported transfer fee of around £32.5 million. But the move didn’t quite go to plan for both parties.
Why did Christian Benteke form fall off with Liverpool?
The striker made a total of 42 appearances across all competitions for the reds. In this time he recorded a mere ten goals for the reds. He failed to live up to the expectations of the Liverpool faithful. It looked like the pressure to play for a top Premier League side after a big-money move was too much for the Belgium striker.
The Belgium striker was later sold to fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace for a reported fee of £27 million. During his time with the eagles, he has made a total of 173 appearances across all competitors. In this time he has recorded 37 goals and 12 assists. (stats via Transfermarkt)
Aston Villa sold Jack Grealish in the summer for an English record fee of £100 million. The club signed Emiliano Buendía, Leon Bailey, and Danny Ings to replace the English winger. Just like Christian Benteke, Grealish has gone on to struggle for goal involvements after his big-money move to a top Premier League side. As things stand it looks like Aston Villa made another brilliant transfer decision by selling their star for a big transfer fee.
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