Few will lament his departure initially - first team opportunities were limited and in his chances he did not impress. As things currently stand that does not necessarily mean passing on Bradley was the right move.
Bradley does possess qualities that are currently lacking in the Villa midfield. His size (6’3”) is something the current crop is lacking. At times last year Villa failed to cope with aerial threats from the opposition. He is tough and defensive minded but can still contribute in the attack when the opportunity arises. He did appear to struggle with the pace of the English game in his limited opportunities, but looked better when he came on as a substitute against Arsenal. Given a full pre-season, along with the six months he has already spent with the club, that would have been more than enough time for him to adjust.
Given the current crop of CMs it is not impossible to envision a scenario where he could break into the first team. Stiliyan Petrov is the club captain and a consummate professional on and off the pitch, but he is also 31 and already showing signs of wear. He briefly lost his starting place when Jean II Makoun was acquired last January. Another year older it would be naïve to expect him to play game in and game out and still be productive.
Makoun made an immediate impression when he came over in January. One would suspect he would have the inside track at one of the CM spots in the first XI. Last year he was used primarily as a creative midfielder and, given his slight build, he is ill-equipped to shield the back four week in and week out. A pairing of Makoun and Bradley could have been interesting as they would seem to compliment each other nicely. He also has shown he is prone to reckless challenges which left the club in tough spots and limited his own availability.
Fabian Delph is a phenomenal prospect who impressed last season, although his opportunities were limited due to his persistent fitness issues. After two years with the club he has yet to prove he can be healthy and effective for long periods of time. Barry Bannan certainly had his moments last season and he clearly has chemistry with Marc Albrighton. The fact he couldn’t make an impact at Leeds and couldn’t make the bench when he returned could be a red flag though. Maybe they plan on keeping Jonathan Hogg around as cover, - as a squad player they could do worse. As for Steven Ireland, lets just hope he shows something in pre-season so he can be sent off on loan again and be somebody else’s problem.
Given these options Bradley would have had a chance to make an impact this year. Given the fact he only has one year left on his contract I can’t imagine the fee would be exorbitant. Now that Villa have officially declined the opportunity, this is still an area of the park that could use strengthening in the summer.
As a side note I heard this story over Twitter a few weeks back. One of my tweeps was speaking with Faulkner at Bodymoor Heath and asked him about Bradley. Apparently in January when Bradley was brought in for a trial he showed up in Birmingham with all of his belongings. When asked what he was doing and Bradley replied “There is no way I’m going back; I’ll do anything for Villa.” The story is second-hand but I have no reason to doubt its authenticity. With our best players leaving the club year after year Bradley’s comments were refreshing to say the least. Unfortunately for Bradley his everything was not enough.
Follow @JChalifour on Twitter