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Aaron Tshibola looked like he had the world at his feet when he moved to Aston Villa in the summer of 2016, but the midfielder’s time in the Midlands would be anything but straight forward.

Having emerged from the Reading FC youth academy, Tshibola was a player that seemed destined for the top during his early years, with his dynamism in the middle of the park seeing him stand out in the Royals’ side.

With Villa heading down into the Championship the season before, the claret and blue were looking to revamp their squad after Premier League relegation, with a reported £5 million move for the star seen as a shrewd bit of business at the time.

But three years and just eight league appearances later, his time at the club was done, having barely made a mark, and leaving the Royals sitting pretty with plenty of money in the bank.

Aaron Tshibola struggled after £5 million Aston Villa move

Things already looked shaky during the early stages of Tshibola’s life with the former European Cup winners, with only a handful of appearances in the opening months proving his place in the pecking order from the start.

Even a late goal in a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United couldn’t convince either Roberto Di Matteo or Steve Bruce to give him a regular place in the starting lineup, and by the following February he was already being shipped out on loan to Nottingham Forest.

From then on, the player was being paid by those at Villa Park, but was rarely ever seen around the place, with time spent at MK Dons and Kilmarnock, as he tried desperately to try and get his career back on track.

What had seemed like a dream move had quickly turned into a nightmare, with the midfielder struggling to recreate the sort of performances that we had seen from his as a care-free youngster.

Having been part of such a tight-knit community in Berkshire, the move to the Midlands couldn’t have been more stark in comparison, with a club in turmoil struggling to get the best out of the talents at their disposal.

Speaking after his Villa Park exit, Tshibola reminisced: “They had just come down and it was a massive transition for the club and they were trying to heal the pain of being relegated – a club of such magnitude that was obviously hard to take.

“It was a different type of challenge, I had gone from a family club and having the utmost support and care to one where it is everyone for themselves.

“I did feel like I was in my zone and finding my feet really quickly, but it wasn’t like Reading, you had to deal with things there and then, alone.”

While Villa would eventually get back to the Premier League, that stint would effect Tshibola for the rest of his career, with the one-time future star beginning a nomadic journey through the footballing backwaters once he left the Villans behind.

Aaron Tshibola’s post-Aston Villa career has taken him to six different countries

With the disappointment of his previous move still prevalent in his mind, Tshibola had a mini European tour the following year, with time spent with SK Beveren in Belgium, before also turning out for Clubs Desportivo das Aves in Portugal.

A return to Kilmarnock came soon after as he tried to rediscover his love for the game, but you could see it in his eyes that this was no longer a player thriving off being on the football field, this was just business.

Stints in Turkey, Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates have all followed, with the 29-year-old posting this month that he is now a free agent once again, after his time with Hatta Club came to an end.

If ever a post summed it all up: “Free agent – Can’t wait to get back enjoying football,” says it all.

Where he goes next is anybody’s guess, but things could have been so different if that £5 million move had come to fruition, with Villa never seeing the same player who had thrived at the Madejski Stadium.