Gabby Agbonlahor has revealed that he turned down the opportunity to join West Brom as he couldn’t see himself playing for Aston Villa’s bitter rivals.
The former striker, who retired from football in March 2019, spent his entire career with Villa, aside from a few loan spells earlier in his career. He was a key figure for his boyhood club for a long time during that period, starring as they recorded three successive top six finishes under Martin O’Neill from 2008.
His relationship with the fans soured towards the end of his playing days though, as he was accused of going out partying on the day Villa were relegated. Nevertheless, many still remember him fondly and Agbonlahor has told The Athletic that he was given the chance to return to the Premier League immediately by the Baggies, who were in the top-flight under Tony Pulis at the time.
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However, he revealed that he didn’t consider moving across the West Midlands due to the rivalry that exists between the two clubs, whilst he also honestly acknowledged a transfer wouldn’t have gone down well at The Hawthorns.
“Even though some of the Villa fans had turned against me, it was just something that I couldn’t do. I didn’t fancy it. They were my one of my biggest rivals and I have scored so many times against them. After Birmingham City, they’re up next, aren’t they? Then it’s Wolves.
“Their fans didn’t like me, either, and even though it wasn’t going well at Villa, I just couldn’t move.”
As mentioned, Agbonlahor would go on to finish his career at Villa Park, although he struggled to make a significant contribution in the final few years. Even though the two clubs have since swapped leagues, that could change again ahead of next season, with Villa in the Premier League relegation zone and Albion occupying an automatic promotion spot in the Championship.
