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Bradley will not be returning to Aston Villa

  MichaelBradleyVilla (ISIPhotos.com)

Michael Bradley's time with Aston Villa is over.

According to Bradley's agent, New York-based representative Ron Waxman, Bradley will not be returning to Aston Villa next season.

He spent a half season on loan with Villa, but played sparingly in a crowded central midfield under former Villa manager Gerard Houlier. It was believed the club was very interested in acquiring Bradley's rights, but that decision ultimately fell to new manager Alex McLeish, who has decided to go in another direction.

Where does that leave Bradley? He has one year left on his contract with German side Borussia Moenchengladbach, but a return to the German club is highly unlikely.

Bradley is the second American to leave Aston Villa this summer, with Brad Friedel departing to sign with Tottenham. Fellow goalkeeper Brad Guzan is also expected to leave the club this summer, which would leave U.S. national team defender Eric Lichaj as the lone American on the roster.

Where do I see Bradley winding up now? A return to the Premier League is high on Bradley's wish list, and seems more likely than a return to the Bundesliga. Bradley had also been linked to interest from Italian power AS Roma, though there has been more tangible interest from other Italian clubs in the past.

What do you think of this development? Where would you like to see Bradley wind up? Disappointed that he didn't stay with Aston Villa?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Settle down there kid, try reading my post again, maybe 2 times if you have to. I’m sorry if I made it too difficult for you to understand. I will try to make it more clear for you. Do I have a problem with Bradley getting some minutes? No. My problem is not with Michael but with Bob. Although Michael hasn’t done much to earn any starts in the past 6 months, he has done enough in a Nats jersey to at least get a few looks. Jones is clearly better than Bradley. Do I think Edu is better? Not by much, but yes. Unfortunately he didn’t finish strong with Rangers but he had a great season. Torres should have at least had a look at some point this Gold Cup but again that’s not Michael’s fault. It would have been nice to see Adu get a few minutes at some point. My point is we should be trying other options when it is clear that Michael is not THAT good. He played well against Canada and pretty well against Guadeloupe. Poorly against Panama and poorly against Jamaica. Sorry, but that’s not enough for him to be starting every game.

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  2. Bradley will be fine.

    I would hope the MLS teams are going after him. There might not be much room however.

    Support your local team please, I would rather see him here than not be able to watch him play in Germany.

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  3. Yes, 3.5 million is correct, according to a news article in Germany’s Bild Zeitung (newspaper). The newspaper reported that Ashton Villa and Gladbach agreed a couple of weeks ago on a 3.5-million-euro buyout for MB and that a contract had been prepared and signed by Gladbach and sent to Villa for their signature. But Villa wanted to wait until a new manager was hired. The Bild story says Alex McLeish telephoned MB recently “at the Gold Cup” and told him he had decided against the signing. The Bild story also says something I have not seen in the American press, and that is that MB after the Gold Cup is marrying his girlfriend, Amanda.

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  4. Bradley is not a “destroyer” in the 3 man MF – he is a linker. Have you watched him play from his days in Holland and Germany? He would be taking Jack’s spot – which he wouldn’t, cause he isn’t good enough to play for Arsenal. Bradley should go to Serie A. The speed of play is slower and it is obvious he could not and cannot keep up with the rate of play in the EPL.

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  5. possibly the dumbest extended comment i’ve read on this site in a long time. i’m no bradley hater, but the idea that his biggest problem is his nationality is ridiculous… keep watching that soccer though… eventually you’ll start to figure some things out ( i hope)

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  6. Federico, are you still mad at MB for scoring two unanswered goals against Mexico in Columbus in the last WC quaifying?

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  7. You missed roll call at the home again. But there is a bright side, when you get back, they’re serving pudding tonight. So, why don’t you go to the corner and sit down, shut up, and color and stay within the lines.

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  8. Well with the NATS always playing a twin destroyer midfield and having no attacking center midfielder played by Coach Bradley, we have had the problem of maintaining width and crossing…which has mostly come from our outside backs overlapping pretty far down the line, this has meant our defensive midfielders have often been put in a bind on the inevitable counter attack… also it has meant that if one of our DMF’s does win the ball we have them force it long instead of look to play a more possession shorter passing style…this is not about Bradley or Jones…or Edu or whomever Sponge Bob decides to play, it is about having limited options and lack of width in the favored formation that he has his players try and play… but Michael is actually a shooter and to achieve this he must play closer to the other teams net… however, as witnessed last summer when he scored to tie the Slovenia match, it has meant leaving his defensive role a bit too often… as in Slovenia’s second goal where one of the two DMF’s, Torres had already gone up to help with the attack and then Bradley joined him and left Gooch who was NOT really near fit all alone to be left for dead on the counter attack… it isn’t what was shown on Sports Center, no they showed the goal… but every coach out there took note of it for future reference.
    Both Bradley and Dempsey are prone to move up and inside, regardless of what “position” they are expected to be playing which is why we truly need to find more FLANK players happy to provide that width… but Bob Bradley simply has either not found them or as in the case of our LB/flank for the past five years…has blown off all comers.
    Edgar Castillo got a small cup of coffee two years ago… and that is something that a player with other options like say Michael Hoyos or now Tim Chandler has to see… it isn’t helping us long term at all.
    ICE

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  9. Well Lichaj was hardly exiled to Leeds as punishment for and off game, hell if that was the case a good part of the side would have been playing in the lower leagues… Lichaj was and is a promising young player but he had yet to establish himself at Villa …the loan to Leeds was a good thing for him this year as he got to play regularly even if it wasn’t at his normal position of RB.
    The player I’m curious about really is Brad Guzan, outside of cup matches he really hasn’t seen the field for Villa sitting behind Brad Friedel so it’s a question of just where he lands next, he’s going to be 27 this fall and that isn’t really that old for a keeper but he has to see first team action soon or he’s looking at being passed over for say David Yelldell as Howard’s shadow for the NATS… clearly at 39 Hahnemann is no longer going to be in the picture very soon, but it’s that number two international spot that might not be Guzan’s soon if he doesn’t start playing that must be in the back of his mind.
    ICE

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  10. Yeah but that was because we agreed to play arguably the Worlds single best possession team a mere three days before a tournament that we simply HAVE TO WIN and if anybody was injured or RE carded in that match there was no time to heal up or train a viable replacement… it was an asinine match to have scheduled that close to a tournament and so even Sponge Bob had to make some changes to protect the side for a vital match against the CANADIANS…
    But look at that line up against SPAIN…was that well thought out? Lucky the officials yanked that first goal back, because it would have been FOUR in the half and first string or not…the lower half might be expected to score against a team like SPAIN, but to give up four in a half is just plain piss poor.
    ICE

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  11. Disagree, sort of. Cattermole is a much better defender and passer. But he can’t score like Bradley. But, Bradley is likely to stay on the pitch more often than Cattermole.

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  12. This is pretty close to the target. Maybe a touch harsh. Because Bradley times his trailing runs very well, and as a result scores an unusual number of goals.

    But Bradley is fundamentally a “motor guy.” And while he’s young, he’s not equipped with the touch and vision one needs to orchestrate an offense.

    For the time being, clearly Bradley should be in the first XI. But once Holden is back and as other players emerge, I see no reason Bradley should be an automatic…

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  13. I think Jones has finally figured out to work with him. To me he is the talent we all reference with holding role on the MNT that he frequently abandons for attempts at glory and goals – exposing his real job and forcing Jones and the center backs to scramble. Which all harkens back to the first sage on this page: HACK!!!

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  14. One option that hasn’t been mentioned here is Roma.

    Given the American ownership, the desire of Thomas DiBenedetto to acquire American talent, and the age of their midfield (Perrotta – 33, Simplicio – 31 Pizarro – 31), I think that Bradley is a legit summer prospect for the team.

    I think that too often, the SBI community focuses exclusively on the Premier League and Spanish leagues. We probably do that because the Premier League is the easiest to watch from the US and La Liga is the most attractive league. We forget that other leagues have legit team options as well.

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  15. Here’s my take..

    Bradley can get stuck in’. Against a good team he can be an important cog in playing for a 0-0 or a 1-0. He doesn’t create well. In fact next to Jones who does not create much in the EPL, Bradley is decidedly less creative.

    Because BM want real money for him.. he’s not really worth it to AV who have top 10 aspirations.

    Plus if anyone watched the first 5 mins vs Jamaica and saw Bradley give it away cheaply, not hussle after it, get a second chance at a tackle in the box but whif half heartedly, then not hussle and get caught as the last man… as a potential manager you’d have to instantly say “Pass”. Especially since getting stuck in is supposed to be his attribute.. and in the EPL that effort gets punished.

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  16. Like he was riding the pine at ‘Gladbach? Or Herenveen before that?
    You people act like he hasn’t already been MB90 in the second best league….

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  17. “which would leave U.S. national team defender Eric Lichaj as the lone American on the roster.”

    So much for VillAmerica, the one American left was exiled to a lower division club based on one bad game. Who knows if they will use Lichaj or loan him out once again. It’s possible the only American will be the owner, which apparently means nothing in terms of American players being given a chance…

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