Aston Villa once signed a star who claimed to love English football but could not live up to his own words.
Aston Villa transfer business does not always end well. Some signings thrive and are eventually sold for huge fees, like Morgan Rogers. Others have special release clauses to protect their future, like Youri Tielemans. Then there are those whose time at the club is remembered for rather unusual reasons.
One such signing was former Cameroon international Jean Makoun, who joined Aston Villa in January 2011. He was signed by Gerard Houllier during his only season in charge at Villa Park.
Makoun had been one of Ligue 1’s standout midfielders at the time. His spells with Lille and Lyon were impressive. He helped Lille qualify for the Champions League and later played a key role as Lyon reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2010. Unfortunately, he was unable to reproduce that level of form at Villa, despite reuniting with Houllier, who had previously worked at Lyon.
Due to health problems, the former Liverpool manager was forced to spend long periods away from the touchline. That ultimately affected Makoun’s opportunities. After Houllier left Villa and was replaced by Alex McLeish, the midfielder spoke to Sky Sports about his desire to remain at the club despite interest from Olympiacos.
“I want to start games, the new manager has come in and I need to impress him. I want to fight and prove myself in the best league in the world—I love English football.”
The Cameroon midfielder never really had the opportunity to establish himself after Houllier’s departure. Instead, he was loaned to Olympiacos for the 2011/12 season.
He performed well in Greece, making 30 appearances while scoring two goals and providing two assists. The Yaoundé-born midfielder also helped Olympiacos complete the domestic double that season.
Ahead of the 2012/13 campaign, Villa underwent another managerial change, with Paul Lambert replacing McLeish. Makoun had been expected to return to Bodymoor Heath, but he encountered a work permit issue.
Reports suggested he was unable to satisfy the English language requirements because he had not continued studying the language during his loan spell in Greece.
He also appeared not to have taken his English lessons seriously during his time at Villa. That may partly explain why he struggled to regain his place after Houllier’s departure. Most of his opportunities had come while the Frenchman was still in charge.
Ironically, after leaving England to join Rennes, Makoun’s career improved again. In his first season, he helped Rennes reach the Coupe de la Ligue final. The following campaign, he guided the club to the Coupe de France final. Unfortunately, Rennes were beaten in both games in the summit.
Overall, the midfielder who featured in 2010 FIFA World Cup made 68 appearances for Rennes, scoring four goals and providing seven assists across all competitions. He left the club in the summer of 2015 to join Turkish side Antalyaspor after falling out with manager Philippe Montanier, a disagreement that resulted in him being frozen out of the first-team squad.
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