‘Bought and sold without consideration’ – Player hits out at Aston Villa, treating him like a ‘piece of meat’
Defender Frederic Guilbert has slammed Aston Villa for treating him like “a piece of meat” before he leaves this month.
The right-back ended a three-year spell at Aston Villa earlier this month when he returned to Strasbourg on a free transfer.
He originally moved to Villa in 2019 but would only make 32 appearances for the club in total during a miserable few years at Birmingham.
Guilbert was loaned out to Strasbourg in January 2021 and returned the following summer when it was clarified he was not part of the club’s plans.
Returning to Aston Villa in June last year, he was told he was not in Steven Gerrard’s plans and sent to train with the youth team instead.
He was finally allowed to return to Strasbourg on a free transfer earlier this month and has now spoken about his time at Villa Park.
“When a club like Aston Villa asks you, it’s gratifying” he said Alsace.
“The Premier League is another world. The quality of the infrastructure, the wealth of the workforce, the atmosphere in the stadiums, everything is oversized…
“The story started well for me, but it quickly got complicated. When I came back from Racing last summer, the club was no longer counting on me.
“I was dropped from the pro group, I trained with the reserves, I had to call in a physical trainer to keep me in shape. It was hard, because nobody comes to help you. In England, you you are but a piece of meat. You are bought and sold without regard…”