If any manager can get one of world football’s most mercurial and divisive footballers back on the right track again, surely it’s Aston Villa boss Unai Emery.
The man who helped coax career-best performances out of while going deep in Europe alongside Alberto Moreno, Aleix Vidal, Arnaut Danjuma and more.
The man who harnessed the talent and potential of an Aston Villa side who flopped under Steven Gerrard and did what even Martin O’Neill could not do while securing Champions League qualification.
And for all those assuming a stellar 2023/24 season was little more than a proverbial flash in the pan, Aston Villa’s activity in the transfer market suggests that, in stark contrast, this could be only the beginning.
Yes, Villa have lost Douglas Luiz. But in came the uber-talented Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea as part of that arrangement.
Ian Maatsen, Jaden Philogene and a mature, consistent Ross Barkley feel like excellent business too, while Amadou Onana’s towering pre-season performances are already making his £50 million price-tag look particularly well spent.
A confident, in-form Joao Felix, however, could yet be the jewell in Aston Villa’s crown.
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