Good news! The president of Aston Villa has declared that every player should…
With Unai Emery’s team presently in fifth place in the Premier League, Aston Villa is having a great start to the 2023–24 campaign. approaching the new campaign’s second international break.
Even though Emery had an excellent start to his first full season as the team’s manager, injuries have severely limited his squad’s performance in their first eight games.
Long-term absences for playmaker Emi Buendia and former captain Tyrone Mings are both present, and this season’s other notable casualties include Leon Bailey, Diego Carlos, Alex Moreno, Moussa Diaby, and Emiliano Martinez.
If Villa wants to keep up their strong play for the rest of the season, they will need to add more players during the January transfer window. Longer term, preparations will already be in place for Villa Park’s summer window next year.
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BirminghamLive examines a number of players whose contractsse contracts will expire in the upcoming year as Villa looks to close smart deals, like the free transfer of midfielder Boubacar Kamara in the summer. All of these players’ current contracts are scheduled to expire in the summer, and in the New Year, those who work outside of England can sign pre-contractual agreements with Premier League clubs like Villa.
Nico Williams
Prior to Diaby joining Villa from Bayer Leverkusen, Villa had expressed interest in the winger, as Emery appeared ready to exercise the player’s £45 million release clause following negotiations.
The transfer fell through, but Villa may now try to pursue the Spain international again in the future as they try to increase their attacking options.
Speaking about the 21-year-old’s future, Athletic Bilbao president Jon Uriarte stated that he intended to keep Williams with the team longer, despite interest from Villa and current league leaders Tottenham Hotspur. “Nico is happy in Bilbao with his mother, Iñaki, and his family,” he said to Gol TV. “They adore Athletic. They adore what we’ve done. To allow him to stay, we are making a lot of effort on both ends.”
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Throughout the current season, Emery has found some success with Matty Cash in a more advanced role on the wing; the Poland international has already tallied two goals and two assists in all competitions.
He is going to require more reinforcements at right-back if he intends to use Cash in this way going forward. Wan-Bissaka of Manchester United would provide a solid defensive presence at the back, which might also let Emery use the three center backs he frequently prefers when the likes of Lucas Digne or Moreno attack from left-back.
Anthony Martial
The lack of a striker for Villa has been compounded by the departures of both Danny Ings and Cameron Archer, as well as the increased number of games in the Europa League.
Despite their strong performance thus far—13 goals in all competitions—Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins may require additional support as the season progresses. allowing Anthony Martial, who is having difficulty adjusting to life in England, to start over at Villa under Emery.
Throughout the summer, Villa was connected to a surprise move for the player; this could now happen in the January transfer window after Rasmus Højlund joined Old Trafford.
Keylor Navas
In their first season back in the top flight, Nottingham Forest avoided relegation to the Championship thanks to the former Real Madrid goalkeeper’s productive loan stint.
Currently, Villa relies on Robin Olsen to cover for Emiliano Martinez, but considering his obvious difficulties with Emery’s preferred style of play when his goalkeeper is on the ball, they may consider hiring a replacement for Olsen in the future.
The 36-year-old could increase Villa’s chances of moving on in tournaments like the Carabao Cup, which they recently lost to Everton. He has a wealth of experience playing for some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
