A former Aston Villa employee suggests one £50 million player would jump at the chance to join Unai Emery, and the star in question could be a serious target for the Spaniard as well.
Aston Villa lose four consecutive games after electric start
Emery has endured a last fortnight to forget in the dugout, with his side losing four consecutive games in all competitions and bringing their electric start to 2024/2025 to an end, at least for now.
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He is seen as a future star in the making, and could be Villa’s this January.
Villa were knocked out of the Carabao Cup Last 16 by Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace, who caused an upset in the Midlands, with Emery’s men then traveling to Tottenham for a 4-1 humbling just days later.
Defeats to Club Brugge in the Champions League and Liverpool at Anfield followed soon afterwards, with Villa now ninth in the table and brought crashing back down to Earth after a fairytale start to the new campaign.
“I am happy with the players,” said Emery on Villa’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool. “We played with the plan we had. To get some points here is very difficult, and maybe we needed more. Even dominating some moments of the match, they were creating some chances in transition, and we have to work to improve it. We conceded two easy transitions for them from corners.
Aston Villa’s next five Premier League games | Date |
|---|---|
Crystal Palace (home) | 23 November |
Chelsea (away) | 1 December |
Brentford (home) | 4 December |
Southampton (home) | 7 December |
Nottingham Forest (away) | 14 December |
“We also created two good chances from corners, and we competed like we needed to get something but we didn’t get points here. I’m happy with the match we played. We have to try and keep balance and be consistent like we were last year. We are some points under the level we had last year, but the Premier League is very difficult and it’s tight with other teams in the table.
“I want to recover some players. They’re not getting fit like they have to but we are helping those players to get better, to feel better. We have to accept losing here because they are a team that can exploit their potential like they did. After we are coming back from the break, we have to try to be strong.”
Former scout suggests Alex Baena is “eager” to join Aston Villa
Injuries for the likes of Ross Barkley, Matty Cash, Boubacar Kamara, Pau Torres and Jacob Ramsey haven’t exactly helped matters, as Villa cope with a fair few absentees, similar to other elite Premier League sides right now.
The January transfer window could be a solution to add more strength in depth, with Villa reportedly eyeing a move for Villarreal forward Alex Baena.
The Spaniard has impressed in La Liga, and commands a £50 million release clause, with Emery also knowing the player well from his time at Estadio de la Ceramica. Speaking to Villa News this week, ex-Villans scout Bryan King has suggested that Baena would jump at the chance to reunite with Emery in Birmingham.
“I think he’d find it easy to join Villa and come into a club with a manager that he knows,” King said. “Baena has worked with Emery. Therefore, I see no reason why Emery wouldn’t push for that transfer, and tell the club that Baena is a great prospect, a good player, and the player that he wants.
“And as a player who has worked with him, I think he’d be eager to join Villa and continue his career in the West Midlands.”
