Paul Lambert
Paul Lambert
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Aston Villa employed Paul Lambert between 2012 and 2015, in what was a period of struggle for the club under Randy Lerner as they fought to maintain their Premier League status, all the while slimming down the wage bill and looking to the lower leagues and the continent for reinforcements.
There were one or two highlights, namely Christian Benteke who Villa would sell on for four times what they paid for him after a goal-laden spell, but on the whole the recruitment drives during Lambert's tenure certainly delivered more failures than successes.
Here's a look at what became of his 20 permanent signings as Villa boss, a mundane and frustrating spell in charge which featured clashes with the press, the Bomb Squad and some very, very dour football.
Christian Benteke
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Christian Benteke
It’s hard to think of a more popular figure at B6 in recent history than Belgian striker Christian Benteke. The former Genk man plundered goal after goal in claret and blue before leaving for Liverpool for £32.5million in the summer of 2015 when the Reds triggered his buy-out clause.
Benteke wasn’t appreciated on Merseyside and made a £27million switch to Crystal Palace in the summer of 2016. He smashed 20 goals in his first season at Selhurst Park. Now at DC United where he worked under Wayne Rooney.
As recently as 1st January this year, 35-year-old Benteke joined UAE Pro League club Al Wahda.
Benteke looks back fondly on his time at the club, stating: "I’m so grateful for my time at Aston Villa, they gave me the chance to become the man I am today and I will forever be grateful for this club.
"It was the best time of my career, I think. 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 and in those three years I had so many nice memories and they will always be with me.
"When I signed, on my debut I had the chance to score. We played at home in that game and I always think about this first memory."
Aston Villa's Joe Bennett
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Joe Bennett
Bennett left at the beginning of the 2016-17 season after learning that he would be third choice left-back under Roberto Di Matteo, behind Jordan Amavi and Aly Cissokho.
Originally signed from Middlesbrough in August 2012, he never really won over the Villa Park faithful and had loan spells at Brighton and Hove Albion, Bournemouth and Sheffield Wednesday to get first team football.
Tony Xia blocked a permanent move to Wednesday because he didn't want him to go to a promotion rival. Instead, Villa sold him to Cardiff City, who beat Villa to the Premier League by going up in 2017-18.
When Villa lost to the Bluebirds in August 2017, Bennett tweeted: "What a win! Won't enjoy a win as much as that one all season."
Bennett made 170 appearances for Cardiff before moving to Wigan and Oxford United. He now plays for Walton & Hersham.
Former Aston Villa right-back Matt Lowton
Former Aston Villa right-back Matt Lowton(Image: Photo by Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)
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Matt Lowton
Matt Lowton, who arrived in July 2012, was popular under Lambert, but fell out of favour upon Tim Sherwood’s appointment.
The former Sheffield United right-back was known for his desire to get forward and his claret and blue spell will be remembered for a belting volley at Stoke City.
He moved to Burnley in 2015 and helped them secure promotion to the Premier League before consolidating in the top flight.
Lowton joined eighth tier Witton Albion in 2023 but saw out his playing career at UAE second division Precision.
Jordan Bowery of Mansfield Town (R) vies with Lyndon Dykes of Birmingham City.
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Jordan Bowery
Benteke wasn't the only unknown striker Villa signed on the deadline day of August 31 2012. Jordan Bowery also arrived.
He was plucked from Chesterfield for £500,000, but his claret and blue career never got going. Bowery failed to score for Villa and in total made just six starts and 16 substitute appearances in league and cup.
He was sent out on loan to Rotherham United at the beginning of Lambert’s final season in charge and then moved to Oxford soon after. Leyton Orient picked him up on a free transfer at the beginning of the 2016-17 season and hoped he would fire them to promotion from League Two.
But Orient's shock relegation to the National League saw Bowery make a move to Crewe. He became an important part of the team at Gresty Road before moves to MK Dons and Mansfield Town where he remains.
In action for Aston Villa
In action for Aston Villa
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Joe Cole
It's fair to say Joe Cole's best days were behind him when, at the age of 32, he signed for Villa on a two-year contract in June 2014 following his release from West Ham United.
The former Chelsea and England star made five starts and 11 substitute appearances for Villa, scoring once in a 1-1 draw at Burnley.
He was loaned out to Coventry City in October 2015 and then joined the Sky Blues on a free transfer until the summer of 2016 after Villa cancelled his contract.
After leaving the Ricoh Arena, he went to play for Tampa Bay Rowdies in the North American Soccer League.
Cole announced his retirement in November 2018 and returned to Chelsea a month later as a technical academy coach. He's now seen as a pundit on TV.
Philippe Senderos
Philippe Senderos during an Aston Villa training session at Bodymoor Heath
Philippe Senderos during an Aston Villa training session at Bodymoor Heath
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In the summer of 2014, Villa's recruitment drive focused on experienced Premier League players.
Philippe Senderos fitted that description. He was a free agent after leaving Valencia and agreed a two-year deal at Villa.
The former Arsenal, Everton and Fulham defender left Switzerland's World Cup camp in Brazil to sign for Villa in Zurich.
Like Cole, he was just a bit-part player at Villa, making eight starts and one substitute appearance and he too departed after 18 months.
It started quite well as he helped Villa keep three clean sheets in a three game winning run at the start of 2014-15.
Senderos left Villa in 2016 to return to Switzerland with Grasshoppers before joining Rangers in summer 2016.
He then headed across the pond to play for Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer. In September 2019, he joined Swiss Challenge League side Chiasso before retiring from the game three months later.
Kieran Richardson playing for Aston Villa (Image: Getty Images Europe)
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Kieran Richardson
Richardson enjoyed a short spell with Cardiff City before being released in January 2017.
Coventry City held talks with him while he was invited to train with La Liga side Granada when Tony Adams was appointed manager but never played for them. After retiring he is now a luxury watch-dealer.
Ron Vlaar during his time at Aston Villa
Ron Vlaar during his time at Aston Villa(Image: PA)
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Ron Vlaar
‘Concrete Ron’ left Villa in 2015 suffering with injuries. Once fit, he signed for Dutch side AZ Alkmaar and has been playing for them ever since.
Vlaar was, somewhat bizarrely, linked with the managerial post at League Two side Carlisle United. That move didn't materialise and Vlaar continued to turn out for AZ until his retirement. He has been working as an assistant manager with the AZ Alkmaar U21 team. He is also seen undertaking media work in his homeland.
Villa's Yacouba Sylla with Stoke City's Erik Pieters
Villa's Yacouba Sylla with Stoke City's Erik Pieters
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Yacouba Sylla
Mali international Sylla only made 22 league appearances during two years with Villa. Since leaving he's played for Montpellier, Rennes, Panathinaikos, YR KV Mechelen, Stromsgodset and Cluj. He played very briefly for Belgian second tier side Virton and then had a stint at Châteauroux. He is currently 35 and a free agent.
Karim El Ahmadi
The Moroccan midfielder joined Villa in 2012 and made 57 appearances in two seasons, scoring three times.
He returned to his former club Feyenoord in 2014 and led them to the Eredivisie title.
Last played for Al-Ittihad after securing a move to the Saudi Arabian side in 2018. He was last known to be working with young players as a mentor and coach.
Antonio Luna
The Spanish defender, who scored on his Premier League debut against Arsenal, was embroiled in a sex tape scandal in his homeland. Luna and his former Eibar teammate Sergi Enrich were identified in a leaked video.
They released a joint statement denying they had consented to its release: “We want to state that the video shows a recording of a private act which took place between fully consenting adults, within the scope of the freedoms we all enjoy.
“We deeply regret that an indiscretion for which we are not responsible has led to these images being published without our knowledge or, far less, our consent.”
Luna left Eibar for fellow La Liga side Levante and last played for Volos in Greece, for two years - but they didn't even confirm his departure.
Currently plays for Antequera after a stint at Dinamo Bucuresti. He is 34.
Nicklas Helenius
New signing Nicklas Helenius at Aston Villa's training ground Bodymoor Heath
New signing Nicklas Helenius at Aston Villa's training ground Bodymoor Heath
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The striker struggled to adapt to life in England and became addicted to sleeping pills.
He moved back to Aalborg on loan before making a permanent switch in 2015. He was loaned out to divisional rivals Paderborn and Silkeborg with first team opportunities limited.
Helenius earned a move to Danish Superliga side Odense Boldklub in the summer of 2017 before moving on to current Aarhus two years later. He's still playing at Aalborg.
His most notable moment in a Villa shirt was having his shorts pulled down in an amusing incident when came off the bench in the Capital One Cup defeat to Tottenham, having also played as a substitute in the cup win over Rotherham.
In an interview this week with Danish newspaper Ekstrabladet, the striker has spoken out about his horrific time in England, and revealed he was suffering from a serious illness.
The paper states that his stay in Birmingham was 'completely destroyed by a bacterial infection that developed so serious that Nicklas Helenius got a depression and was struck by fear of death.'
Speaking about the illness, he said: "When I was home from Aston Villa I also used to be the father of twins.
"It was also very much my wife who needed me nearby.
"It was not because I was homesick when I was in England.
"It was solely my disease was the cause of that I needed to have people around me."
Aleksandar Tonev of Aston Villa in action
Aleksandar Tonev of Aston Villa in action
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Aleksandar Tonev
The Bulgarian midfielder played seventeen times for Villa in a largely forgettable stint at Villa Park. He finished with Bulgarian side Botev Plovdiv and has set up a construction business.
Ashley Westwood - Aston Villa v Huddersfield
Ashley Westwood - Aston Villa v Huddersfield
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Ashley Westwood
Westwood departed Villa after four-and-a-half years of service to join Premier League side Burnley in January 2017.
The midfielder was an important part of the squad at Turf Moor before moving to Charlotte FC in the MLS, where he plays under Dean Smith.
Westwood became somewhat of a scapegoat at Villa, during a turbulent time at the club. While some of his performances earned acclaim - he was a mobile and sensible passer from a fairly young age in the middle of the park for the Villa, he couldn't escape the quagmire that the club became involved in.
"I took a lot of stick at Aston Villa, the gaffer [ Dean Smith ] is a Villa fan and even he came in and battered me! It was hard for my family, we lived in Birmingham and it was really tough. The chairman pulled the money out of the club and it created a toxic atmosphere."
Leandro Bacuna
Leandro Bacuna
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Leandro Bacuna
Bacuna left Villa Park for Championship rivals Reading in 2017 after Steve Bruce deemed him surplus to requirements.
Bacuna’s departure also came as a bit of a shock to the Villa faithful given his lofty standing in Bruce’s thinking the previous season.
But with the likes of Glenn Whelan and Josh Onomah on board, Bruce opted to offload the Curacao international.
Groningen-born Bacuna joined the Royals in a deal worth around £1.5million. He joined Cardiff for £4million and remains in south Wales. He trained with is brother Juninho at Blues for a while before returning to his home-town club Groningen. He currently plays for Iğdır FK at the age of 34.
Carlos Sanchez
Sanchez spent the 2016/17 season on loan at Fiorentina - a move which was made permanent once a clause was triggered.
The Colombian found his game time limited under Stefano Pioli though and linked up with Espanyol before returning to the Premier League with West Ham. He last played for Argentine top flight club San Lorenzo.
Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez is challenged by Aly Cissokho
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Aly Cissokho
A move to Turkey with Malatyaspor was Cissokho’s next step after being told he had no future at Villa under Bruce upon returning from a loan spell with Olympiakos.
The Frenchman went on to play for Malatyaspor and Antalyaspor. He was at Lamphun Warrior and remained in Thailand when he made the switch to Muangthong United. Now aged 37 - he plays again for Lamphun.
Libor Kozak
Just 12 starts and 10 substitute appearances in three-and-a-half years tells its own story.
Libor Kozak was signed to provide cover and competition for Benteke but his Villa career never really took off. Kozak did score four goals for Villa in an early flurry following his deadline day move in August 2013.
But the striker Lambert bought from Lazio returned to Italy in 2017, first joining Bari and then switching to their Serie B rivals Livorno before spells in the Czech Republic and Switzerland. He ended his time in Italy with Serie C side Arezzo before returning to the Czech Republic with Opava at the age of 35.
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