'He killed us': Micah Richards says Aston Villa never would've been relegated if £32m player stayed
07/05/2024 13:15
Aston Villa are on the verge of qualifying for the Champions League, but the Villans' recent history hasn't always been smooth sailing.
Indeed, just a few years ago the Midlands club were playing Championship football, and that 2015/16 season was perhaps one of the most embarrassing campaigns we've seen in the Premier League.
Villa finished rock bottom of the league that year, winning just three games the entire campaign.
Speaking on the BBC Match of the Day Top 10 Podcast, Micah Richards has been discussing Aston Villa's relegation season, and he's claimed that the club would've stayed up if Christian Benteke had never left.
Aston Villa would've stayed up with Christian Benteke
Richards spoke about Benteke and the impact his £32m departure had on the club.
"No he (Benteke) left when I arrived at Villa. He killed us honestly, if we would've had him, we would've stayed up," Richards said.
Aston Villa were doomed
As much as Christian Benteke's departure did hurt Aston Villa around that time, Villa would've needed a miracle to stay up that season.
Villa finished 22 points from safety that year, and as good as Benteke was, he wasn't going to account for such a massive swing.
The reality is that Villa were a shambles at this time, and while they probably would've been stronger if they had a striker like Benteke, he wouldn't have single-handedly saved what was a sinking ship.
Luckily, Villa have bounced back brilliantly since their relegation. In the space of just a few years they've gone from being a Championship club to Champions League hopefuls, and that 2015/16 season now feels like a very distant memory.
Villa absolutely deserve all of the success that is coming their way under Unai Emery, and it's hard to believe that some of these players actually played in the Championship at one point.
