The midfielder was one of the stand-out players in Villa’s terrible season last term.
Idrissa Gueye has told the Daily Express that he expected Aston Villa to do better than title winners Leicester City last season when he arrived from France last summer.
Gueye joined Villa from Lille before the start of last season as Villa looked to build a squad capable of securing a competitive finish in the Premier League.
To say things did not turn out as hoped would be an understatement. Villa crashed and burned in dramatic fashion, finishing bottom of the league with the third-worst points tally in Premier League history.
Gueye was one of the stand-out stars in the team, impressing in central midfield and earning himself a move to Everton this summer.
The 26-year-old has admitted that things did not go as expected at Villa, and suggested that he expected the club to even finish above surprise title winners Leicester.
The Senegal star told the Express: “If you looked at the two clubs [Villa and Leicester] at the start of last season you would probably have said Villa are a bigger club and would have had a better season.
“But it shows how things move quickly in football. Football is full of destiny and every player has his own path to follow.
“I was pleased for Leicester, and it was great for N’Golo [Kante] that they won the league. It was different for me, but mentally I have improved. It has made me stronger and better.”
Gueye is now shining for the Toffees and has emerged as one of the best central midfielders in England so far this season.
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