Aston Villa‘s players are reportedly unhappy with the design of their current home shirts and believe it’s affecting their performances on the pitch.
There have been complaints from the Villa squad that the shirts, made by Manchester-based sportswear brand Castore, become soaked with sweat minutes into games and continue to retain moisture throughout matches.
The effect has seen Villa’s stars become uncomfortable, thanks to running around in heavy shirts, and have voiced their concerns to the club.
A source told The Telegraph; ‘The players are having to play in soaking wet t-shirts and it is a problem that needs to be solved. It cannot go on all season. The players look like they’ve jumped in a swimming pool after about 10 minutes.’
The issue would present an embarrassing problem for Castore, who signed a multi-year deal with Villa that began at the start of this season.
Aston Villa skipper John McGinn is ringing with sweat during the club’s clash with Chelsea
Players have stated the shirts are uncomfortable to wear and are hindering their performance
The sweat was particularly evident during their Europa Conference League defeat in Poland
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A relative newcomer into the field, the sportswear brand also supplies kits for Wolves and Newcastle in the Premier League as well as SPL side Rangers. They also have agreements with the England cricket team and Sir Andy Murray.
However, there is yet to be any evidence of those clubs having the same issues brought on by both the Aston Villa home and away strips.
The moisture was particularly evident during the club’s trip to Poland last week for their Europa Conference League clash with Legia Warsaw, where players could be seen drenched in sweat during the game.
Unai Emery’s side ended up losing the game 3-2 to the Polish side, and now the issues with the shirts is being looked at more seriously.
The club are aware of the problem and have already spoken to Castore about finding an immediate solution, as it’s being looked as a performance related issue that needs fixing ASAP.
In spite of the concerns with their current jerseys, Villa did manage to take three points off Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and will hope that the shirts don’t hinder any further displays as the host Brighton this weekend.
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