Conor Hourihane has been an instrumental figure in Aston Villa’s midfield in recent seasons, as he has now signed a new deal at the newly-promoted club.
It’s not only in the transfer market where Aston Villa are making their mark, but they are also ensuring that some of their best talents are being signed up to long-term contracts.
On Saturday, Villa announced on their official website that midfielder Conor Hourihane has put pen-to-paper on a new contract at the newly-promoted club.
The 28-year-old joined the Midlands outfit during the January transfer window of 2017, and it is fair to say that, just like Villa’s journey in the Championship, it wasn’t always plain sailing for Hourihane.
Whilst most Villa supporters will now acknowledge Hourihane’s worth and believe he is deserving of a new deal, it wasn’t always like that with the Irishman.
He would at times get criticised for being too quiet in games and not having the impact the supporters would have liked. But then he would come up with something special, whether it be a wonder goal or a free-kick.
In February, during Villa’s home defeat to West Brom, Hourihane was booed off/ ironically jeered by sections of the home crowd as he was being replaced by youngster Jacob Ramsey.
Many months later, he is playing a huge part in the build-up to Villa’s opening goal against Derby County in the Championship play-off final in May.
During his time at Villa, Hourihane has scored 21 goals and supplied 17 assists from 111 matches [transfermarkt] – he supplied 12 assists last term.
One thing is for sure, Hourihane deserves this new contract and he will play a huge role for the club as they prepare for a return to the big time.
Just like most of the players in the squad, he may need time to settle to Premier League football and competition will be needed in midfield in order to get the best out of the players.
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