10 Players Who Probably Regret Joining Aston Villa
It's not just this season where players haven't succeeded at Villa Park
You may expect this list to be compiled entirely of players who signed for Aston Villa last summer but it's not just this season where it has become evident that a player's career has started to go on a downward spiral during their time in the West Midlands.
Even during the nineties when the club enjoyed some of their best years in recent memory, there were transfers that did not work out and that number only increased past the turn of the Millennium as Villa looked to try to keep pace in the top half of the Premier League table.
The Birmingham-based outfit used to be seen as one of the most suitable locations to keep your development on an upward curve but given their recent demise both on and off the pitch, it is difficult to see Villa being considered as anything but a last-chance saloon unless mass changes are made in all departments.
Before complete anarchy descends on Villa, let's take a look at some of the clearest examples where players made the wrong decision to pull on the claret and blue shirt.
10. Jean Makoun
During his time in French football with Lille and Lyon, Jean Makoun established himself as one of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe but during the second half of his spell with Les Gones, he slipped out of favour and looked for a fresh start elsewhere.
His next move would see him arrive at Aston Villa. At the age of 27, Makoun still had an opportunity to revive his career but he took too much of a gamble in transferring to England and he would last just eight months in the Premier League.
Makoun made his debut in a 2-1 victory away at Wigan Athletic but he would only feature in one more victory for his new club, which came in a 1-0 triumph over Newcastle United towards the end of the season.
The Cameroonian international's only appearance in the following campaign would come in the League Cup against Hereford United, a game in which Villa required 80 minutes to break down their League Two opponents. After just eight matches, this would represent his last game for the club.
He found himself farmed out to Olympiakos on loan for the rest of the year before he returned to France to play for Rennes.