New Contracts?

[silhillvilla]

A couple of goals at anfield would be a nice way to baptise the new deal.

[JD]

Delighted that gabby has signed and agree with everything Percy has said. Yes, he doesn't always play well, but who hase over the last 4 years. The soul was ripped out of a good team and only gabby remains. He now has to play a lot of the time on the wing and is usually up front as a lone striker when asked to play there. No John Carew to work off and no Ash Young to stick crosses on the nut for him. No Barry or Petrov feeding him, and no Milner working to get the ball back for him.

I'm not saying he has been our stand out player but if over the last 4 years there has been one player who has summed us up it is Gabby. Good, bad, and indifferent. But pops up when needed in big games and was brilliant in helping to keep us up two seasons ago. build a team that works for him and not one that he is just put in to run up and down the wing, or is expected to just hold up the ball, and he'll score a lot more. I think this is a good signing (contractual) and reckon he'll be in double figures for goals this season.

I agree with Percy and you Pete. I'm happy Gabby has signed a new deal, hopefully he will now repay the faith Villa have continued to show in him.

[old man villa fan]

Some are saying that he has not done enough to deserve a new contract.  However, if we had let his contract run down and he left, we would have had to spend money on a new player. A new player may be on less wages but this would not compensate for the fee. Now he's on a new contract there is nothing to say we cannot sell him.

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

Some are saying that he has not done enough to deserve a new contract.  However, if we had let his contract run down and he left, we would have had to spend money on a new player. A new player may be on less wages but this would not compensate for the fee. Now he's on a new contract there is nothing to say we cannot sell him.

he wasn't in danger of the contract running down tho was he? I read that he has extended by one year meaning that he now has 4 years to run. He hasn't done enough for me to warrant the extension - another 20 games like the one against Hull, this season rather than over the next 3 years, and then I would say he deserved the extension

[robbo1874]

After the Hull game, he started a sentence with "Yeah I know but, well I think erm" or something along those lines. It makes you proud.

Percy - don't get me wrong, I would have him in the side because he has particular skills unique to him, but for what we pay him, and the talent he does actually possess, I think we should get a lot, lot more from him than we do.

maybe you'd have been more pleased if we had sold him and signed Graeme le Saux instead?

[robbo1874]

Delighted that gabby has signed and agree with everything Percy has said. Yes, he doesn't always play well, but who hase over the last 4 years. The soul was ripped out of a good team and only gabby remains. He now has to play a lot of the time on the wing and is usually up front as a lone striker when asked to play there. No John Carew to work off and no Ash Young to stick crosses on the nut for him. No Barry or Petrov feeding him, and no Milner working to get the ball back for him.

I'm not saying he has been our stand out player but if over the last 4 years there has been one player who has summed us up it is Gabby. Good, bad, and indifferent. But pops up when needed in big games and was brilliant in helping to keep us up two seasons ago. build a team that works for him and not one that he is just put in to run up and down the wing, or is expected to just hold up the ball, and he'll score a lot more. I think this is a good signing (contractual) and reckon he'll be in double figures for goals this season.

be nice if he could break the 100 goals barrier before his contract expires

[Dave]

Some are saying that he has not done enough to deserve a new contract.  However, if we had let his contract run down and he left, we would have had to spend money on a new player. A new player may be on less wages but this would not compensate for the fee. Now he's on a new contract there is nothing to say we cannot sell him.

he wasn't in danger of the contract running down tho was he? I read that he has extended by one year meaning that he now has 4 years to run. He hasn't done enough for me to warrant the extension - another 20 games like the one against Hull, this season rather than over the next 3 years, and then I would say he deserved the extension

He was out of contract at the end of this season, like Delph, Vlaar and Grealish.

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

I bet he can't believe his luck . 4 years

Yes, because in the era of Long and McCormack going for £12 and £11 million respectively, a bloke with 60-odd PL goals would have no chance of getting a good contract off anybody else as a free agent in the summer. I bet he's pinching himself that he won't be turning out for Sutton Town's reserves next season.

he wouldn't have been a free agent next summer would he? He has extended by one year meaning that he still had 3 to run

[eamonn]

A couple of goals at anfield would be a nice way to baptise the new deal.

I'll be more than happy if he plays as well as he did there last season (by far, his best performance in the last year).

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/gabby-agbonlahor-signs-new-aston-7749700

maybe the mail got it wrong? wouldn't be the first time

[Dante Lavelli]

I thought he was great against Hull last time out. Whilst you could argue he hasn't done enough to earn a new deal, you couldn't really imagine him playing for anyone else. Let's hope he justifies it over the next few seasons.

He may not be the best player, but in a world where Shane Long/Borini/Fulham's recent signings cost in excess of £10m then it's good business.  We can now spend that money elsewhere and also, if need be, sell him in the future rather than letting him leave for nothing.

Any rumours on whether we matched/increased/reduced his previous deal?

The opportunity cost of not giving delph a bumper deal also makes me more inclined to offer him stupid money or at least a decent signing on bonus (given for each complete year he stays, or something like that).  To replace him would be £15m minimum and any £15m player will want £40-60k a week.

[eamonn]

Agbonlahor's agent, Tim Webb, commented: "Gabby could have utilised his Bosman status at the end of the season but he never considered that.

"Everyone knows his feeling for the club and he was keen to sign his new contract, demonstrating his loyalty, as has always been the case even when other clubs have come in for him."

[Dante Lavelli]

Agbonlahor's agent, Tim Webb, commented: "Gabby could have utilised his Bosman status at the end of the season but he never considered that.

"Everyone knows his feeling for the club and he was keen to sign his new contract, demonstrating his loyalty, as has always been the case even when other clubs have come in for him."

Nice to read.  If only he was *slightly* better he'd be widely worshipped.

[django]

Great news that Gabby has signed a long term deal.

I watched the one on one chance that Westwood created for Bent in the Leyton Orient game and thought, Gabby would be a 20 goal a season man if he was put through like that once a game. As it happens I saw almost all our games last season and don't think he got more than a couple of chances like that.

We've completely wasted him for the last few seasons.

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

Great news that Gabby has signed a long term deal.

I watched the one on one chance that Westwood created for Bent in the Leyton Orient game and thought, Gabby would be a 20 goal a season man if he was put through like that once a game. As it happens I saw almost all our games last season and don't think he got more than a couple of chances like that.

We've completely wasted him for the last few seasons.

if only he had the thought to make the same movement that Bent made in the move that you refer to then he would be a 20 goal a season man. Unfortunately, when our midfielders look up, there is rarely any movement from the players further forward meaning that we don't create many chances like the Bent one and, I am afraid, Gabby is one of the worst culprits