While Rudy Gestede’s time at Aston Villa was a disappointing one from a playing perspective, his career after leaving suggests that the club did remarkably well to sell him for £6m.
Gestede joined the Villans from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2015 after the rangy striker hit 22 goals for the Ewood Park outfit the season prior.
During his time with the Midlands club, he would contribute just ten goals and four assists in 55 appearances, with his poor form in front of goal one of several reasons why Villa were relegated from the Premier League in the 2014/15 season.
After the Benin international managed just four goals in 18 appearances in the Championship, Villa were keen to move him on, with Middlesbrough paying £6m for his services in January 2017.
Gestede certainly didn’t win over many Villa fans during his time at the club, while he was labelled a “disgrace” by Manchester Evening News journalist Stuart Brennan after some unsportsmanlike behaviour against Manchester City.
Were you happy when Gestede left?
It seems remarkable that Villa were able to receive so much for Gestede, as his performances since leaving have suggested that he was worth nowhere near that, and those on the Villa board deserve a lot of credit for their negotiations with Middlesbrough.
During his time on Teesside, Gestede managed just eight goals in 71 appearances, which is a shocking return for a striker, and his one goal in 16 appearances once again played its part in relegation as Boro returned to the second tier for the 2017/18 campaign.
After another poor few seasons, in which he scored only five EFL goals, Gestede was eventually released following the 2019/20 season and has subsequently spent time in Australia, Greece and Iran.
Even in comparatively poor leagues, the 33-year-old has still struggled for consistent form, managing just nine goals across his spells with Melbourne Victory, Panetolikos GFS and Esteghlal FC, before he was released earlier this year.
Gestede remains without a club and looks unlikely to return to England, which emphasises just how well Villa did to sell him for £6m in 2017.
