Marc Albrighton is top of the Premier League and on top of the world with Leicester City, whilst his former club, one he has supported since childhood, is languishing at the bottom of the Premier League table.
The twenty-six-year old could soon celebrating the greatest moment in Premier League history if the Foxes continue to hold strong at the top of the table. Meanwhile, a club he holds so close to his heart will be relegated.
He is a true Villan and has often spoken of the Villa board’s ‘arrogance’ regarding the idea of relegation. He is the sort of man who would happily stand on the terraces on a cold Friday night in Rotherham watching his beloved side grind out a 0-0 draw and still chant to the end. Albrighton has said, “My first hope is that we (Leicester City) can do something big but then I hope that something can get sorted at Villa Park.”
It was never entirely clear why we let a man with sixteen years’ service at the club leave so quietly – and wrongly, as many believe.
His performances in a Leicester City shirt have won him many admirers, which is hardly surprising, but he was never the player he is now during his time at Villa Park, where the midfielder/defender was a winger with plenty of work ethic but little end product.
When Aston Villa released Albrighton, the club was trimming the squad and removing ‘dead wood’. Like many others, Albrighton was failing to live up to his potential so the club decided to cut its losses, a decision which split opinion. Many fans groaned when Albrighton was named on the team sheet. They knew he would give his all but he was a liability at times. He made eighty-six appearances between 2009 and 2014 for Aston Villa, conjuring up ten assists during that time. This means he laid on a goal every nine games, which isn’t impressive. It may be better than anyone in the current crop but at the time Albrighton was released many Villa fans were confident the club could be on the up.
Despite his obvious love of the club, Marc Albrighton was as inconsistent as Barry Bannan during his time with Aston Villa at senior level. The former-England U21 international was sporadic with his delivery and he often left strikers frustrated. In fact, not many players divided the fans more than Marc Albrighton. Some fans were pulling their hair out on a weekly basis because of his performances.
There are those who say he didn’t want to leave, while others suggest his move was motivated by money. Regardless of the reasons, I do believe that at the time we got rid of Marc Albrighton it was the correct decision: we couldn’t afford to be holding on to bit part players. Perhaps the club treated him badly or perhaps Albrighton was unlucky to be underperforming during a period of transformation.
Do you honestly think Randy Lerner would release a player he thought he may be able to make money on in a few years’ time? He had faded since he first burst onto the scene. I always thought Albrighton could do no wrong whenever I watched him. He was my favourite player for so long when he was a first team member. I always rated him highly.
For every Marc Albrighton, we have had ten Nathan Delfounesos at the club. Albrighton is a totally different player now, flourishing with better players around him.
Great play by #ENG Youngster, Marc Albrighton!! The next James Milner.. #ComeOnEngland
— Delonick Yuki (@delonick) September 26, 2010
Th masses finally realised 2nite tht albrighton isn't prem quality. Have my doubts over bannan. Th less said about the fonz the better #avfc
— Daniel Berwick (@danielberwick88) September 20, 2011
Like Villa fans before them, some Leicester City fans say Albrighton is a liability yet he has played thirty-two times this season for the Foxes in their title march. I only have praise for what the Foxes have done and am happy to see our former youth star flourishing in a side that is playing with so much confidence.
Would we see the player we see at Leicester now if he had remained at B6? I don’t think so. I admire what Albrighton has done at Leicester City. I still admire his direct play and enthusiasm but it wasn’t his years at Villa that made the player he is now. He has developed playing at the King Power Stadium in front of a passionate, loyal fan base that has shown him some patience and has had two managers who have filled him with enough belief to prove his versatility and retain a place in the Leicester side.
There can be no doubt that it could have been a mistake to let him go, although that’s the risk taken every time a player is released.