Aston Villa signed Diego Carlos from Sevilla last summer and he suffered a serious injury last August.
This saw the Villans sign Jan Bednarek on a season-long loan deal from Southampton on the last day of the summer window.
Steven Gerrard was then in charge at Aston Villa and was instrumental in convincing the 26-year-old to arrive at Villa Park.
The ex-Rangers manager was shown the exit door last October and the Villans appointed Unai Emery as his successor. The Spaniard didn’t count on the Poland international and his loan stay at Aston Villa was cut short in January.
Former Polish defender and TVP Sport expert Marek Wasiluk has discussed Bednarek’s progress in the Premier League. He is of the belief the centre-back made a mistake by signing for Aston Villa last summer.
“He’s matured in the national team. He was becoming a better player. However, I believe the decision to go to Aston Villa was disastrous. I understood the arguments he wanted to leave Southampton because he had spent a lot of time there, but he chose the wrong club,” Wasiluk told TVP Sport.
“There, in the centre of defence, Mings and Konsa play well and are candidates for the national team. We convinced ourselves that it was not a good move after a quick return to the Saints. Because of this decision, he missed [starting matches at] the World Cup and now he has to rebuild his position. It won’t be easy because we know the situation his team is in.
“In the context of Janek, various clubs have fallen in the past, definitely stronger than Southampton. Perhaps it was a good time then. We know that in addition to Aston Villa, West Ham also wanted him. He needed a new impulse, but he chose wrong, and now there are consequences. I guess you really have to admit that he slept through a good moment for the transfer. I feel like leaving in the summer was forced.”
TVP Sport told Wasiluk that Gerrard convinced the Pole to pick Aston Villa over West Ham. He was quizzed if he would have done something different if he were in the Southampton player’s position.
Wasiluk explained: “Unfortunately, Gerrard did not call me, and if he did, I would probably agree (laughs). Janek is a player with an established position in the Premier League, so it probably doesn’t impress him much. He did not manage to work with Gerrard for long, and the successor did not see him in the squad. So, everything went as badly as possible.”
