The free agent centre-back has been training with Aston Villa recently.
It’s fair to say Aston Villa fans weren’t rushing to the nearest club store to get SAMBA printed on the back of their claret and blue replicas. The last time Cristopher Samba reared his head in English football, he was rescued from Russia by calamitous QPR for £12.5 million, not to mention a £100,000-a-week contract, as reported by the BBC.
Half a season and some truly pitiable performances later, we assumed that was the last we’d ever see of a defender who was, despite his recent struggles, inspirational at times during his spell at Blackburn Rovers.
Until Aston Villa offered him a trial that is. The Birmingham Mail report that the 32-year-old has been training with the first-team with a view to earning a contract after being released by Panathinaikos.
“Chris has been training for over a week,” Villa CEO Keith Wyness told the Birmingham Mail. “He’s impressed everyone so far but it’s the manager’s decision.
“He’s fit, according to everyone I’ve spoken to, but it’s up to Steve Bruce.”
Ironically, Villa have kept two clean sheets in their last two games since Samba arrived to purportedly shore up a shaky backline but the news of his arrival on the Midlands has taken fans and neutrals alike by surprise. Mostly because many assumed he had retired.
However, before Bruce offers the big-boned bruiser a contract, perhaps he should take note of how he is remembered during his brief yet unforgettable spell at Loftus Road.
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