Five players who could regret leaving Aston Villa after Chukwuemeka struggles
BirminghamLive brings you the latest Aston Villa news as we take a look at players who could have regretted their move away from the club
Since the Premier League's inception, Aston Villa have made roughly £500 million on player sales, but over the past 30 years, not every exit has had a happy ending.
In recent years, and given the club's struggles over the past decade or so in fighting relegation and rebuilding the club upwards to the heights it once fell, a lot of players have come and gone. Only five years ago were Villa mid-table mediocrity in the Championship.
Here are six players who might have regretted leaving Villa, or indeed the transfer they accepted...
Carney Chukwuemeka
The teenager joined the Blues in a £20million switch from Villa in August 2022 after he made it clear that he did not want to commit his future to the team he joined from Northampton in 2016. Chukwuemeka was handed his Premier League debut at Villa while playing under Dean Smith at the end of the 2020/21 season, and then made 12 appearances the following campaign, mostly under Steven Gerrard, who was desperate to tie the midfielder down to a new deal. Chukwuemeka refused to sign fresh terms and was then left out of the club's tour of Australia before the start of last season. Chukwuemeka will turn 21 later this year, but only started two league games last term. He struggled to get much game time, before then picking up a knee injury which has hampered his progress. If he had remained at Villa, there's not doubt that he would have featured under Unai Emery, who uses a 4-2-2-2 system that would get the very best out of the young midfielder.
(Image: Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)1 of 5Christian Benteke
The striker scored 49 goals in 101 games for Villa, before he left the club in 2015 to join Liverpool, but he failed to kick-on at Anfield and his career never got back on track. After netting just 10 goals for the Reds in 42 appearences, he joined Crystal Palace. Had Benteke stayed at Villa for the 2015/16, who knows if the club would have managed to survive in the Premier League. While his transfer didn't come as a shock to supporters, it was an unlikely signing for Jurgen Klopp. Benteke did not fit in at Liverpool, or in Klopp's system, and arguably wasted the peak years of his career there.
(Image: Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)2 of 5Stewart Downing
Villa gave Stewart Downing the platform to play at a high level both domestically and internationally, with the winger a regular in the England squad during his time in claret and blue. But, after interest from Liverpool, Downing ended his two-year association with Villa and headed for Anfield. He had two successful years with Villa and earned the Player of the Year award for the previous season but never kicked on with Liverpool as he ended his first campaign at the club without contributing to a single Premier League goal. Two years after joining the Reds, Downing left for a fraction of the £20million they were said to have paid in 2011 and joined West Ham.
3 of 5Carlos Cuellar
![Carlos Cuellar waves goodbye to the Aston Villa fans]()
The Spanish defender became a cult-hero at Villa Park, but he might have enjoyed many more years with the club after he left for Sunderland in 2012. Carlos Cuellar left at the end of his contract and after making 120 appearances in four seasons in the West Midlands, but struggled to play at his best level after leaving. He joined former Villa boss Martin O'Neill at Sunderland ahead of the 2012-13 season and despite featuring 26 times during his first season, he made less than five appearances the following campaign. He was later released by Norwich City before returning to Spain in 2015.
(Image: Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)4 of 5Mark Bosnich
![Mark Bosnich in action for Aston Villa]()
Mark Bosnich left Villa after being offered the opportunity to replace Peter Schmeichel at Manchester United. It was perhaps a short-term career move for the goalkeeper, but one he may still be regretting. Injury had restricted Bosnich to only 17 appearances at Villa during the 1998-99 season, but joining the Old Trafford club was clearly an offer that the Australian stopper could not refuse. He was later replaced by Fabien Barthez and after spending some time at Chelsea, he eventually returned to Australia to end his career.
5 of 5
