Aston Villa tell 2019 transfer to find new club with Emery to freeze star out

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Aston Villa sporting director Johan Lange has told Frederic Guilbert to find a new club as he wants to sell the defender in January. New Villa boss Unai Emery is not considering a recall.

That is according to Birmingham Live, which reports the Villans chief has informed Guilbert and his agent of his intentions. The full-back last played in claret-and-blue away to Barrow in August 2021. He scored and assisted in a 6-0 Carabao Cup rout at the League Two outfit.

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The tie was his 32nd appearance for the Villans since joining from Stade Malherbe Caen in January 2019 for £5m. But Steven Gerrard froze the Frenchman out of their first-team fold. Guilbert failed to impress him after returning from a loan transfer to RC Strasbourg Alsace.

Now that Emery has arrived in Birmingham to replace Gerrard as Aston Villa’s head coach, Guilbert may have hoped for a clean slate. But the Spaniard has not recalled the 27-year-old from the wilderness. Gerrard banished Guilbert to train and play with the club’s U21 team.

So, Lange has told Guilbert and his agent to find a new club as Aston Villa will try to sell the full-back in January. But the Villas could struggle to recoup any transfer fee for the £40k-a-week outcast. So, they may have to find a team willing to buy out the rest of his contract.

Lange has told Guilbert to find a new club as he’s not in Emery’s plans at Aston Villa

Guilbert is only under contract at Villa Park to June 2023, so will be a free agent at the end of the season. He can also agree Bosman deals with foreign teams in the New Year. So, the hierarchy in Birmingham might need to sanction a freebie in January to offload his wages.

The former France U21 international will no doubt want a way out of the wilderness if his first-team hopes are non-existent under Emery, too. While Gerrard froze Guilbert out and Emery will maintain his position, the full-back was a mainstay while on loan to Strasbourg.