Adomah’s Europa League Dilemma: Torn Between Two Former Clubs
Albert Adomah admits he does not know who to support when Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest meet in the Europa League semi-finals because he has given everything to both clubs.
The 38-year-old Ghanaian winger, now playing for League Two side Walsall, is one of a rare breed of footballers who can claim a genuine, meaningful connection to both sides preparing for one of this season’s most compelling European ties.
“I’ve played for both clubs, so now I don’t know who I want to win,” Adomah told Flashscore. “But I prefer Aston Villa to win, if I’m honest.”
It is an admission that speaks to the emotional complexity of a career spent across six clubs in the English Football League. Adomah is no casual observer of this tie.
He was in the Villa dressing room when they won the Championship play-off final at Wembley in 2019, helping fire them back into the Premier League after a three-year absence. He also pulled on the Nottingham Forest shirt, contributing to a club with its own deep-rooted European pedigree and fierce sense of identity.
Watching the two clubs now meet on the European stage carries a particular weight for a man who understands what both mean to their supporters.
His admiration for what Villa have built under manager Unai Emery is clear and unambiguous. “Aston Villa are doing amazing,” he said. “Emery has been doing extremely well with them since he took charge and got them into the Europa League and Champions League. The club has excelled since they got promoted from the Championship and hopefully that may continue.”
Adomah, who lives in Birmingham, says Villa remain close to his heart despite his departure from the club following that 2019 promotion. “I always keep an eye out for them. I try to watch some of their games when I can and I always look out for the results,” he said.
His feelings for Forest are no less genuine, even if their current circumstances are far more precarious. While Villa chase European glory and a potential return to the Champions League, Forest head into the semi-final with one eye on a Premier League relegation battle that shows no signs of easing.
Yet Adomah refuses to write off his former side. He believes the dynamics of knockout football render league position largely irrelevant once a team reaches the final four of a European competition. “In a cup, it doesn’t matter if you’re the best team anyone can win,” he said. “They will be thinking about the cup. There’s a chance to win a trophy, and then after they’ll be thinking about survival mode.”
The semi-final also arrives as Adomah reaches a personal milestone of his own. He recently became the first player in EFL history to make 100 appearances for six different clubs, Bristol City, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, QPR and Cardiff City, a record that underlines just how deeply embedded he is in the fabric of English football over the past two decades.
“It’s an amazing milestone,” he said. “It wasn’t even an honour I was aware of until I was notified. It’s a great achievement to have and to make the history books.”