Aston Villa are not short of rivals across English football.
There are many high profile clubs in the Midlands along with Villa, including Birmingham City, Leicester City, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
As a result, there have been several high profile transfers from one club in the Midlands to the other.
One player has recently spoken of making this type of move, one that involved Villa and caused a bit of a stir.
Former Aston Villa defender reveals regret over transfer
Curtis Davies made 677 appearances across all competitions in his football career.
From 2005 to 2013, Davies played his club football in the Midlands, playing for West Brom before a loan move to Villa was made permanent, as well as Leicester and Birmingham. He would also go on to play for Derby County later on his career.
He wasn’t short of controversy during his football career.
Davies arrived at Villa following a transfer request at West Brom, which was rejected by the club. He would later resign from his captaincy at West Brom.
Speaking on the Claret & Blue podcast, Davies spoke on the transfer.
“It was a mad one really because at the time when I was at West Brom, we had just been relegated, we had a season in the Championship and then lost in the play-off final but through that season I was told that if we don’t go up I’d be able to leave basically.
“All along I thought that I was going to Spurs, so I was basically down the line with them and hoping it would come off because for me that would be going back home. The training ground was 15 minutes from my house in London so I thought that would be perfect and then it never materialised.
“Jeremy Peace was holding out for more money than what Daniel Levy wanted to pay and then at the 11th hour Villa came in and it was a massive move for me, it was a no brainer really to go to Villa.
“I had a gentleman’s agreement that rather than putting a price in the contract, which the chairman didn’t want to do, but he looked me in the eye with the manger at the time, Bryan Robson when I sign that contract and they said if we don’t go up we’ll let you go.
“I kind of left it a week or so until we’d lost the play-off final and asked what kind of price he was looking for so my agent could do his work and unfortunately I was told ‘no, we aren’t selling you’.
“So I had to force the issue and had to do things that aren’t characteristic of me but I had promises broken to me and ultimately I ended up handing in a transfer request every day, literally every day to reiterate my point and it was a shame it had to end like that but after being hung out to dry a little bit, I don’t regret it because it got my move to Villa.
“The next day we did the press and the media and whatever else we needed to do and I was a very happy man. I was living in Birmingham City centre at the time and while I was only 22 so I was living in the centre, it was either I go home from where I’m from or I stay in Birmingham and it was obviously easier for me and I didn’t have to make new friends as such because when you move it’s a big thing.”
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