James Milner and Gareth Barry left Aston Villa for Man City
James Milner and Gareth Barry left Aston Villa for Man City(Image: Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
Manchester City spent £46 million to sign three Aston Villa players during the nine-year period covered by the charges for which they have been found guilty.
It was confirmed earlier this week that City were found guilty of charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.
City deny the allegations and have appealed against the ruling of an independent commission, which found them guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them.
A huge amount of anger was expressed in the wake of the news, with former Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor highlighting how it impacted the club.
“You know what they did in 2009? They took our best player, Gareth Barry. You know what they’ve done in 2010? They took our best player, James Milner. You know what they’ve done in 2015? Took our best player, Fabian Delph," he said.
“I played in that era, 2009-2018. We got relegated in 2015. Six seasons, I played in it. As a Villa fan, or even as a Villa player in that era, they took our best players. We’ve gone to the Etihad and got some spankings from Yaya Toure, [Sergio] Aguero, David Silva.”
Indeed, all three players were signed by City from Villa during the period covered by the investigation. City later recruited Jack Grealish for £100 million in the summer of 2021, after building their brand and increasing their revenues on the back of a decade of success.
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Gareth Barry
Barry was one of the first major signings City made under Abu Dhabi ownership, leaving Villa for £12 million in the summer of 2009.
The then 28-year-old had been linked with a move to Liverpool the previous summer but ended up staying at Villa Park, helping them to a sixth-placed finish in the league.
“There is great potential here, and I'm sure there will be more additions to the squad this summer,” said Barry after penning a long-term deal with City.
“It didn't take much persuasion from Mark Hughes. They are heading in the direction I want to go.”
Villa finished 12 points ahead of City in 2008-09, but the following season, with Barry playing at the Etihad, City finished fifth, three points ahead of Villa.
James Milner
The summer after Villa lost Barry, City signed Milner to further weaken Villa and boost their own hopes of reaching the Champions League.
City spent £26 million on Milner and sent Stephen Ireland in the opposite direction.
“It didn't take too much selling by the boss when you see the players who are already here and the plans for the club,” said Milner.
“The last thing he said to me was 'be ready for the next game', and then he said 'be ready to win the Premier League', and that's my ultimate aim - that's what I want to do and why I'm here.
“There's a lot of competition to get there, it's where we all want to be. I'm ambitious and I want to win trophies here. I believe this is a great place to do that and I believe we will do it. Hopefully, sooner rather than later.”
Villa dropped down to ninth in the Premier League in 2010-11, while City finished third.
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Fabian Delph
The third player City signed from Villa during their nine years of alleged cheating was Delph, just a week after the former midfielder pledged to stay at the club.
Delph had signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Villa in January 2015, which included an £8 million release clause.
“Micah Richards told me that, as far as he is concerned, this is the best club in the world and he had the time of his life here,” said Delph after joining.