March 2016 against Southampton, however he was not to be on the winning team as Stoke lost 2–1 at home. At the end of the campaign, Whelan admitted that he was disappointed that the team did not finish higher in the table. Prior to the start of the 2016–17 season, Whelan signed a one-year contract extension in July 2016, which ties him to Stoke until the summer of 2018. Whelan played 31 times in 2016–17, as Stoke finished in 13th position. Whelan gave an honest assessment of Stoke's campaign following a 2–2 away at AFC Bournemouth on 6 May 2017. "We're disappointed, being twice up away from home especially to a team like Bournemouth and giving away two sloppy goals pretty much sums up our season I think". Aston Villa Whelan joined Aston Villa on 20 July 2017 on a two-year contract for a fee of £1 million. He scored his first goal for Aston Villa in a 4–2 win at Sheffield Wednesday on 24 February 2018. Whelan played 35 times in 2017–18 helping Villa reach the 2018 EFL Championship play-off final where they lost 1–0 to Fulham. He made 38 appearances in 2018–19 as Villa again managed to reach the play-off final this time beating Derby County 2–1. At the end of the campaign Whelan's contract was not renewed by Dean Smith. Heart of Midlothian On 14 August 2019, Whelan joined Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian on a one-year contract. He left the club in January 2020, after new manager Daniel Stendel had dropped him from the team. Whelan subsequently criticised Hearts, saying that he felt like he had been "thrown under a bus" by the club and described the way they handled his departure as "amateurish". Conversely, it was later revealed that Whelan had made little or no effort to become involved in the club, and - in the words of journalist Tom English - 'club, players and fans alike were unconvinced by the level of commitment the Ireland international showed towards the club ... [and] not one person is sorry to see him go. Not one. Fleetwood Town Whelan signed a short-term deal with League One club Fleetwood Town on 24 January 2020, joining until the end of the season. Bristol Rovers On 4 September 2021, Whelan joined recently relegated League Two club Bristol Rovers on a one-year deal, linking up with former Fleetwood manager Joey