Aston Villa hope to bounce back to their former level under Unai Emery, and while the teething problems will persist for some time, it’s already clear that the newbies have the potential to bring the club back into the ascendancy.
Emery has many elite managerial qualities, but his adaptability has got to be up there with the best of them. The Spaniard has managed to rebound after losing the lion’s share of his title-winning team. It’s obviously been a rocky start, but there is method behind the madness of such a sweeping rebuild.
Sure, Morgan Rogers has been sold to Chelsea for £117m, a significant blow, but Emery has a knack at shrewdly replacing such superstars, doing exactly that with Marco Asensio after Jhon Duran’s £77m transfer to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia nearly two years ago.
Why Marco Asensio was such a good signing for Aston Villa
Duran might have more cash in the bank, but from a footballing perspective, it’s hard to argue that the mercurial Colombian striker made the right career move in leaving Villa Park.
No matter, Emery’s outfit have done just fine since, and adding Asensio on loan during the January 2025 transfer window proved the perfect way to steer the ship away from a potentially grievous blow against the Lions’ bite in attack.
Marcus Rashford also played his part, but Asensio may have been the more clutch of the two during that fleeting period, scoring five goals across his first seven games. Noted for his “magical” quality on the ball by Mallorca youth coach Juan Pericas, the Spaniard, now 30 and playing for Fenerbahce, looked a well-oiled and efficient forward, perfect for guiding the club past the mania of the Duran chapter.
|
24/25 PL stats – Marco Asensio |
|
|---|---|
|
Stats (* per 90) |
# |
|
Matches (starts) |
13 (9) |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Shots (on target)* |
1.8 (0.8) |
|
Big chances missed |
4 |
|
Pass completion |
86% |
|
Big chances created |
1 |
|
Key passes* |
1.2 |
|
Dribbles (success)* |
0.9 (71%) |
|
Tackles + interceptions* |
0.7 |
|
Duels won* |
2.1 |
It’s a trick Emery sought to repeat this summer. Aston Villa signed a range of up-and-coming talent, players hungry for the top, but they also needed to add a bit of experience, as Real Madrid servant Asensio provided a few years ago.
The new Asensio hasn’t played a game for Aston Villa yet
The new Asensio hasn’t yet featured under Emery, but there’s a good chance that this player could be something of a game-changer when welcomed to an Aston Villa side looking to return to the top.
Lost under the clutter of a sweeping summer rebuild, the Villa still have the integration of Leon Goretzka to look forward to. The experienced midfielder joined the club after his contract with Bayern Munich expired this summer.
When the opportunity emerged, signing Goretzka was something of a no-brainer. A powerful and tenacious midfielder, he has been hailed in the past as a “machine” in the engine room by former Bayern teammate Aleksander Pavlovic.
With Amadou Onana out for the long run after injuring his knee with Belgium at the World Cup, such a signing could prove all the more important. Youri Tielemans had already been sold to Manchester United, with Rogers’ move to Chelsea further weakened the wider breadth of the Villan midfield.
It’s always something of a risk when a veteran superstar makes the move – look at Philippe Coutinho’s transfer to Villa Park – but Goretzka has the physicality and gifted range of passing to make a real difference at the heart of Emery’s system.
But he could be the perfect counterpoint in midfield, contrasting with the springiness of Johan Manzambi, feeding the combative energy of Joao Gomes. Last season in the Bundesliga, the Germany international started 25 times for title-winning Bayern, scoring five goals and supplying three assists. He completed 91% of his passes and, crucially, completed 79% of his dribbles – an absurdly high rate.
Goretzka is the real deal, and he could enjoy an Asensio-like impact at Villa Park this season, instilling composure and proven quality at a time when the club have lost any number of big-money superstars.
Emery confirmed last week that the powerful midfielder would play no part against Brentford, but that could change on Tuesday evening, with Fenerbahce and Asensio welcome Emery’s side to Turkey.
