I was devastated when my teammate left Aston Villa but Man City were offering silly money

Gabby Agbonlahor claims Gareth Barry’s exit from Aston Villa was what led to the club’s demise from Champions League challengers to relegation.

Villa finished in sixth position three years in a row under Martin O’Neill, but his squad slowly disbanded as Randy Lerner accepted that his dream of funding the club’s assault on the top four was ultimately going to fail. Barry left the club for Man City – whose rise under Abu-Dhabi ownership made Villa’s job of competing even harder – in 2009, before Ashley Young, James Milner and Stewart Downing all departed in the following two seasons.

“I was devastated to see my teammates leave, every summer,” Agbonlahor exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone. “Season after season, I just knew that our plans of getting into the top four were never going to happen.

“It started with Gareth Barry, and then it just went on and on, and ultimately the problem was that Villa just couldn’t match the likes of Man City in terms of salaries. We’re talking whatever you were getting at Villa, City were offering you double to sign for them.

“As soon as Barry went, the rest just felt inevitable, like it was a matter of a time before they all moved on. And that’s what happened, and every season we were getting weaker.

“Then, after we sold Christian Benteke, we found ourselves in a position where we ended up going down. And that’s what happens if you’re a selling football club.

“Look at Southampton… think about some of the players they had over the years, who they sold on, and eventually they end up in a position where they can’t cope in the Premier League.”