In case people weren’t aware already, and I’m sure many of you are anyway, Karim El-Ahmadi has agreed to join the club and has been officially confirmed as a new player by Aston Villa.
El-Ahmadi, a player who helped Feyenoord achieve a Champions League qualification for next season via the team’s league positioning in the 2011/12 season, will invariably add to a recently understaffed and underpowered Villa midfield.
With Stiliyan Petrov out of the team for the foreseeable future, and the majority of players who can play in the area lacking experience, quality, or both, El-Ahmadi seems a good enough acquisition for Villa.
Of course, many fans will be unable to comment on his abilities as our recent poll asking whether the Moroccan international or Brett Holman would be more of a success actually yielded a lot of votes for “I don’t know enough about the players”.
It would be trite to link to a series of Youtube clips regarding the player simply because those who have seen him play will know his abilities and those who haven’t can’t really get a read off the back of three minutes of video backed with some suitably awful music choice.
El-Ahmadi will introduce an issue that Villa have not been affected by in any recent era – having players who play in the African Cup of Nations – with the concern being that if El-Ahmadi is going to be a solid starter, then we will miss him during that particular competition.
Speaking regarding the move, the Moroccan player said:
“I’m very excited about coming here to a massive club and I’m looking forward to playing here,” he said.
“I’m very happy that the manager wants me and that the club wants me and I’m looking forward to starting training again.
“It’s nice that I am the manager’s first transfer and I am looking forward to doing good things with the team and with the club this year.
“This club should be competing in the top half of the table and I am looking forward to achieving that with the team.
“It was always a dream of mine to play in the Premier League. We played a lot on Sundays in Holland, so I was able to watch all of the games on Saturday and I think this is the best league in the world. It will be a challenge to show people what I can do.
“Last year was successful for me and for Feyenoord – we qualified for the Champions League – but sometimes in life you have to make choices.
“I came to this club and spoke to the people here and they gave me great confidence in what we can do this year, so I have chosen to come.
“As a player, I always want to have the ball and that is my main quality. I always want the ball and to dictate the game. That’s what I did at Feyenoord and hopefully I can show the fans, the club and the manager my quality.”
Much of the above can be easily put under the banner of “typical waffle players say when they sign”, much as most opening comments are – the player will show what he can or can’t do on the pitch in good time.
However, speaking briefly about Brett Holman, another player who has joined the club in July, he said:
“I’ve played against Brett a lot of times, not only when he was at AZ but when he was younger he played at Feyenoord,” El Ahmadi added.
“He’s a great player and it’s good for him, too, to come to a club like this and to make a step up.
“In Holland he showed his quality and now it’s good to have him next to me. He’s a great player to play with and he never gives up – I don’t think I ever saw him standing still on the pitch.”
As stated before though, the real evidence will show up on the pitch and fans will be sure to welcome the arrival of players who haven’t been a combination of British, poor, or both, as a number of signings in the past ten years may well have been.
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