Agbonlahor escapes punishment
Aston Villa have confirmed they will take no further action against striker Gabriel Agbonlahor following an investigation into his conduct on a recent trip to Dubai.
Agbonlahor was not included in the first-team squad for Villa’s 4-0 Premier League home defeat to Chelsea on Saturday after he was pictured smoking a shisha pipe while on holiday in Dubai.
However, Villa have revealed the 29-year-old will not face any further punishment after concluding their internal investigation.
Agbonlahor could now come back into contention for Villa’s clash against Bournemouth at Villa Park on Saturday.
Villa caretaker manager Eric Black took the decision to remove Agbonlahor from the squad for the match against Chelsea after photographs were published by the British media showing him smoking the shisha pipe.
At his pre-match press conference, Black said: “Unfortunately, it’s part and parcel of modern day football.
“It’s not specific to Aston Villa and we will deal with it in the right manner. I’m focussed on our next challenge, which is Chelsea.
“We have an on-going investigation which will run its course and I spoke at length last night to David Bernstein (recently appointed club director). So I took the decision to remove him from the squad for Saturday.”
Agbonlahor has scored just one goal in 18 appearances this season, with Villa seemingly destined for the Championship.
Villa will be relegated from the Premier League on Saturday if they lose to Bournemouth and Norwich avoid defeat against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
