Aston Villa have struck gold with a new deal for Ahmed Elmohamady
According to Sky Sports, Aston Villa have successfully tied down veteran right-back Ahmed Elmohamady to a new one-year deal, with the contract extension expected to keep the Egyptian at the club until the summer of 2021.
The 31-year-old, who joined Villa from Hull City back in 2017 on a three-year deal, was in the last 12 months of his contract at the Midlands club but the Lions were quick to pounce on the opportunity to extend his stay.
Elmohamady was one of the mainstays of Villa’s backline in the previous campaign in the Championship and impressed with 2 goals and 8 assists in 41 league appearances, as Dean Smith’s side secured promotion back to the Premier League following a three-year absence from the top-flight.
Villa released a number of ageing stars, including Glen Whelan, Mile Jedinak, Alan Hutton, Albert Adomah and Tommy Elphick, upon securing promotion to the top-flight at the end of the 2018-19 season but Dean Smith chose to retain the services od the Egyptian international.
Indeed, the veteran’s previous glowing exploits at Sunderland and Hull City in the Premier League might have prompted the manager to rely on his top-flight experience and it has been quite evident from Smith’s team selection this season that he still rates the 31-year-old very highly.
Elmohamady has played the full ninety minutes in each of Villa’s defeats against Spurs and Bournemouth in the top-flight so far this season and, whilst the Lions have struggled to hit top gear upon their return to the Premier League, the Egyptian has shown that he has still got the legs to cut the mustard at the highest level.
The 31-year-old was largely mediocre in the 3-1 defeat to Spurs on the opening day but he was one of the standout performers on the pitch against Bournemouth.
Elmohamady’s heroics at the Vitality Stadium wasn’t enough to prevent Villa from suffering back-to-back defeats in the Premier League but he certainly justified the manager’s decision to include him in his first-team plans.
The Egyptian, who initially joined Sunderland on loan from ENPPI in his homeland in the summer of 2010, adapted seamlessly to the English game and enjoyed moderate success under then Black Cats manager Steve Bruce before earning a permanent deal in the north-east of England.
Elhomamady reunited with Bruce at Hull City in 2012 and went on to make 217 appearances for the Tigers in all competitions over the course of five fruitful seasons before completing another sensational reunion with his former manager at Villa Park in 2017.
To put things into perspective, the flying full-back, who is currently in his seventh campaign in the Premier League, has carved out a big reputation for himself in English football over the years and it is not difficult to see why Villa have done the right thing by securing his long-term future.
Having already brought in as many as twelve new players this summer, it was always going to be important for Dean Smith to hold on to some of his top existing performers and few would argue that the 31-year-old has been one of Villa’s most consistent first-team players since his arrival a couple of years back.
Villa, as a unit, have looked quite compact at the back, with centre-backs Tyrone Mings and Bjorn Engels putting up some solid displays.
Elmohamady has hardly come under the spotlight so far this season but his influential presence down the right, as well as his proficiency in contributing equally to both defence and attack, is likely to be instrumental in the club’s bid for survival in the Premier League.
To add to that, none of Villa’s new signings has much experience of playing in the Premier League, thus further epitomising the importance of Elmohamady’s contract extension at Villa Park.
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Having said that, the Lions should continue to rely on the versatile 31-year-old and it is beyond doubt that his well-rounded attributes could possibly make him a big asset to Smith over the upcoming months.