Arriving at Aston Villa in January 2013, a few months before the likes of Leandro Bacuna or Libor Kozak, Yacouba Sylla’s time at Villa Park really was a tale of two halves.
Used quite a lot for the remainder of the 2012-13 season, the former Villain then saw his time on the pitch drop considerably during the next campaign, making only 13 appearances in all competitions for the first-team.
A loan to Kayseri Erciyesspor was then organised for the midfielder, but the player, now at Montpellier in France on loan from Rennes, has admitted on Monday in an interview with So Foot that he shouldn’t have taken the offer and stayed at Villa Park instead.
He said: “I saw players my age in Lugue 1, and I panicked, thinking my development would stall because I wasn’t playing much. I was wrong. It’s one of the biggest regrets of my career, to have been so impatient and listened to the wrong people. I was badly advised by people who sold me a project to help me restart, telling me I’d be in the spotlight at Kayserispor.”
The former Aston Villa midfielder did, however, explain his season in Turkey did have some upsides, learning how to fend for himself, at a club where wages aren’t always paid on time.
Now a rotation player in the south of France, Sylla is loaned with a view to buy at Montpelier, and there is still a chance the deal could be made permanent.
However, all Sylla wants now is stability.
Whether that is in England, France or somewhere else, that’s what he’ll be looking for when the summer transfer window comes around.
