Aston Villa fans react on Twitter to Yacouba Sylla’s departure

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The 24-year-old midfielder has signed a four-year deal with Ligue 1 side Rennes.

Yacouba Sylla became the latest Aston Villa player to be shown the exit door on Monday afternoon, with the Mali midfielder moving to French side Rennes for a fee believed to be around £1 million.

Sylla, 24, first joined Villa from Ligue 2 side Clermont Foot in January 2013 for around £2 million and showed enough during his first few months in the Midlands for some to label him the club’s long-term answer in the holding role.

The French-born recruit’s first full season at Villa Park did not go at all to plan, however, as he made just 11 league appearances in a side battling against relegation and failed to get off the bench for the final two months of the campaign.

Subsequently shipped out to Turkish Super Lig outfit Kayseri Erciyesspor on a season-long loan last summer, he featured 27 times for the club and, having made a positive impression, had hoped to return to Villa to fight for a first-team place.

Speaking to France Football in December, he said: “Aston Villa is the club to which I belong, the club where I progressed. I always look out for their results.

“I left to come back stronger but the truth is that we do not know what will happen tomorrow. There are a lot of unemployed people so I’m not going to fuss, though. I remain privileged.”

However, despite having another season left to run on his Villa deal, the Mali international could not convince new boss Tim Sherwood to give him another chance and will now bid to revive his career back in France.

With another of Paul Lambert’s failed signings offloaded, here is how the claret and blues faithful reacted on Twitter to news of his departure.