Aston Villa’s Castore shirts appear to retain the sweat and players have now complained, prompting the club to ask the manufacturer to find a solution
Aston Villa’s players have moaned to the club about the quality of their shirts.
Unai Emery’s first-team squad is unhappy with the performance of their jerseys in matches – complaining they are heavy and uncomfortable – and they have demanded change. Club captain John McGinn and his team-mates have become increasingly frustrated by a problem that has been plaguing them since the opening day of the season at Newcastle.
Villa’s shirts, which are manufactured by Manchester-based firm Castore, appear to retain the sweat, and Emery’s players have been dripping with perspiration just minutes after matches have kicked off.
The issue was particularly acute during last week’s trip to play Legia Warsaw in their opening Europa Conference League game – and now the players have decided enough is enough.
The club’s hierarchy is aware of the problem and has approached Castore for a solution – with speed now of the essence. The powers-that-be will not take ‘no’ for an answer, either, as this is seen by Villa as a performance issue – and any failure to address it quickly will be frowned upon.
The club’s change kit is also thought to be suffering from the same malfunction and that too needs ironing out. However, replica shirts will not be affected – a resolution is only initially being sought for the first-team.
The news will come as a major embarrassment for Castore who only signed a ‘multi-year’ deal with Villa at the start of last season. They also have agreements with Newcastle United, England’s cricket team and Sir Andy Murray, among others.
Ironically, Castore’s tagline reads: ‘Demand better – premium performance,’ which is exactly what Villa’s players are hoping they will deliver. Fans will also have noticed how Villa went without a shirt sponsor when they faced Legia Warsaw.