Glenn Whelan will depart Aston Villa when his contract expires at the end of next month.
Aston Villa’s rise in recent months has been quite remarkable and the manner in which they have reached the Premier League has been the icing on the cake for the Midlands club.
Towards the end of February, things were heading in the wrong direction for Dean Smith’s side, but the whole team got their act together and went on a promotion-winning run.
That remarkable rise from mid-table was led by many players, but one name that stood out on a weekly basis was the experienced and cool head of Glenn Whelan.
On Saturday, Villa confirmed on their official Twitter account that 35-year-old Whelan is one of eight players that has been released by the club following their promotion to the Premier League.
Is Dean Smith making a huge mistake in allowing the experienced campaigner depart the club upon Villa’s return to England’s top-flight?
Whelan signed for Villa during the summer of 2017 when he made a £1million switch from Stoke City [BBC Sport], he was a regular under then-manager Steve Bruce, but there is no doubt that he produced his best football under Smith.
In recent months, the defensive-minded player has been one of Villa’s best players and a key reason as to why the club will be playing Premier League football next term.
But given his recent form and his experience, Villa should have offered him a short-term deal because as a back-up. he could have added value from the bench, in the dressing room and on the training pitch.
Added with that, he would have helped the new players settle in and helped those, such as Conor Hourihane and John McGinn, who have not experienced the Premier League before.
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