Paul Lambert's time at Aston Villa wasn't exactly glorious. Between 2012 and 2015, he brought in 20 permanent signings while the club fought to stay in the Premier League under Randy Lerner's ownership. It was all about cutting costs and finding bargains from lower leagues and Europe.
The results? Well, let's just say there were way more misses than hits. But there was one absolute diamond - Christian Benteke. Let's dive into what happened to all 20 of Lambert's signings.
The Success Story: Christian Benteke
Benteke is easily the most popular figure from this era. The Belgian striker arrived from Genk and absolutely smashed it, scoring goal after goal in claret and blue. Villa sold him to Liverpool for £32.5 million in 2015 - four times what they paid for him. Not bad business at all.
Liverpool didn't appreciate him though, and he moved to Crystal Palace for £27 million a year later. He banged in 20 goals in his first season at Selhurst Park. After spells at DC United under Wayne Rooney, Benteke joined UAE Pro League club Al Wahda on January 1st this year at age 35.
Benteke still looks back fondly on Villa. "It was the best time of my career," he said. "I came from a small country in Belgium at the time in 2012, and I was 22. I wasn't known and I came with a lot of dreams to be a superstar in the Premier League."
The Defenders and Midfielders
Matt Lowton arrived in July 2012 from Sheffield United and was decent under Lambert. He's remembered for an absolute screamer of a volley at Stoke. He moved to Burnley in 2015, helped them get promoted, and eventually ended up at UAE second division side Precision before retirement.
Ron Vlaar, nicknamed 'Concrete Ron,' left in 2015 with injuries. Once fit, he signed for Dutch side AZ Alkmaar and stayed there until retirement. He's now working as an assistant manager with their U21 team.
Karim El Ahmadi joined from Feyenoord in 2012 and made 57 appearances over two seasons. He went back to Feyenoord in 2014 and led them to the Eredivisie title. His last move was to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in 2018.
Ashley Westwood became a bit of a scapegoat during Villa's struggles, which was harsh on him. He was actually a mobile, sensible passer in midfield. "I took a lot of stick at Aston Villa," he admitted. "It was hard for my family. The chairman pulled the money out of the club and it created a toxic atmosphere." He joined Burnley in 2017 and now plays under Dean Smith at Charlotte FC in MLS.
Leandro Bacuna left for Reading in 2017 after Steve Bruce decided he wasn't needed. That came as a shock since Bruce rated him the previous season. But with new signings coming in, Bacuna was surplus to requirements. He moved to Cardiff for £4 million and now plays for Turkish side Iğdır FK at age 34.
The experienced signings didn't work out. Philippe Senderos came from Valencia as a free agent in 2014 with bags of Premier League experience from Arsenal, Everton, and Fulham. He made just eight starts before leaving after 18 months. He finished his career in Switzerland before retiring in 2019.
Joe Cole arrived at 32 after his best days were behind him. The former Chelsea and England star made five starts and 11 substitute appearances, scoring once. He was loaned to Coventry before joining Tampa Bay Rowdies. He retired in 2018 and now works as a TV pundit.
The striker signings were mostly disasters. Jordan Bowery cost £500,000 from Chesterfield on deadline day 2012 alongside Benteke. But while Benteke thrived, Bowery failed to score for Villa in just six starts and 16 substitute appearances. He bounced around lower league clubs including Oxford, Leyton Orient, Crewe, and MK Dons. He's now at Mansfield Town.
Nicklas Helenius struggled badly to adapt to England and became addicted to sleeping pills. His most memorable moment was having his shorts pulled down when coming off the bench against Tottenham. He revealed he suffered from a serious bacterial infection that led to depression and fear of death. "It was solely my disease that was the cause that I needed to have people around me," he explained. He's back playing in Denmark with Aalborg.
Libor Kozak was signed from Lazio to provide competition for Benteke but never cut it. Just 12 starts and 10 substitute appearances in three-and-a-half years tells you everything. He scored four goals early on but faded fast. He bounced around Italian lower leagues and Czech football before ending up at Opava at age 35.
The full-backs had mixed fortunes. Joe Bennett never won over Villa fans and had multiple loan spells. Tony Xia blocked his move to Sheffield Wednesday because they were promotion rivals, then sold him to Cardiff instead. When Cardiff beat Villa in August 2017, Bennett tweeted: "What a win! Won't enjoy a win as much as that one all season." Ouch. He made 170 appearances for Cardiff before dropping down the leagues. He now plays for Walton & Hersham.
Aly Cissokho moved to Turkish side Malatyaspor after Steve Bruce told him he had no future. He played in Turkey and Thailand, and at age 37, he's now back at Lamphun Warrior in Thailand.
Antonio Luna scored on his Premier League debut against Arsenal but got caught up in a sex tape scandal in Spain with a former teammate. They released a statement saying the private video was released without consent. He last played for Spanish side Antequera at age 34.
Carlos Sanchez spent 2016/17 on loan at Fiorentina before the move became permanent. Game time was limited though, and he moved to Espanyol then West Ham. His last club was Argentine side San Lorenzo.
Aleksandar Tonev played just 17 times in a forgettable stint. He finished his career at Bulgarian side Botev Plovdiv and now runs a construction business.
Kieran Richardson enjoyed a short spell at Cardiff before being released in 2017. After retiring, he's now a luxury watch dealer.
For punters looking at Villa's current recruitment, this era serves as a warning. Lambert's hit rate was absolutely dire - basically one success out of 20 signings. When betting on Villa's success in any given season, it's worth checking whether their transfer business looks solid or if they're repeating past mistakes. Quality over quantity matters massively in football recruitment.
