'There's levels': Gabby Agbonlahor twists knife after Newcastle miss out on Manzambi

Gabby Agbonlahor is back to being a talkSPORT villain. It didn't take long.

It was a mere 11 days ago that we wrote an article agreeing with something talkSPORT dunce Gabby Agbonlahor said. We told you to mark it in your calendars as it was a rare occurrence, but it's alright now, order has been restored.

Having said that, it's not that we disagree with everything Gabby says in this clip; it's just how he says it.

Aston Villa look to have beaten Newcastle United to the signing of Johan Manzambi after the Magpies had been linked in the media for weeks with the 20-year-old star. Villa leapt off the bench on Sunday for an easy tap-in to nab the deal from under Newcastle's nose.

Smug Agbonlahor is at it again

It's the second time this summer that Newcastle have seen a player reject them at the last minute to move to a side with European football to offer.

The lack of Champions League, or indeed any form of European football is going to be a big obstacle for Newcastle to overcome in the transfer market this summer, and while Gabby Agbonlahor is right that Aston Villa are a more attractive prospect after winning the Europa League and having Unai Emery as a manager to boot, it's his claims that 'There are levels' that really gets our back up.

He's clearly on the wind-up, and fair play to him because it did indeed wind me up. Unai Emery is a top manager, but so is Eddie Howe. In fact, other than bumping up against financial restrictions like Newcastle, Emery hasn't had to face half as much turmoil in his time at Villa Park.

Eddie Howe has seen sporting directors come and go, close allies and club owners leave and dealt with a petulant child in Alexander Isak demanding a move, and he's still managed to keep the ship relatively steady.

Newcastle and Aston Villa are at the same level

There are levels to the game, sure, but even after our shoddy season last time out, I'd say that Aston Villa and Newcastle are on the same level. The only difference right now is the European football thing.

Yeah, okay, Villa won the Europa League and managed to finish fourth while doing it. They had an excellent season, but overall, we're playing in the same sand pit, and both clubs are trying to break that Septic Six barrier.

Enjoy your moment, Gabby. We'll see you again soon.