Aston Villa have confirmed that Frederic Guilbert has left the club and completed a permanent move to join RC Strasbourg.
The 28-year-old joined us in January 2019 and went on to make 31 appearances for the club in total.
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Having spent time on loan at Strasbourg previously, Villa have now confirmed that Guilbert has joined the French side on a permanent basis, bringing an end to his time with us despite having six months remaining on his previous deal.
Villa note that the deal is for an undisclosed fee, while Strasbourg’s announcement suggests that it was a free transfer.
Given he has spent recent months training with the U23s, it’s good to see things finally worked out for both Villa and Guilbert with a move to allow him to move on and restart his career elsewhere.
It has been clear for some time, despite managerial changes, that his situation at Villa wasn’t going to significantly change and that he wasn’t part of the first-team plans moving forward.
In turn, a permanent move is the best solution for all concerned, and it’s hoped that he can now enjoy regular football with Strasbourg, while we move on and focus on the options that Unai Emery has at his disposal for that position.
That said, Guilbert did take to Twitter, as seen below, to post a classy farewell message as he paid tribute to the club’s supporters among others, and although it has been a difficult time for him, he will clearly have fond memories of his time as a Villa player too.
With that in mind, it’s a shame that things didn’t go to plan during his spell with us but ultimately it’s now hoped everything works out for him in the future.
After more than 3 years spent here, it is with many shared feelings that I leave Aston villa by mutual agreement. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/YEoFKV2tOj
— Fred Guilbert (@fredguilbert24) January 17, 2023