Aston Villa: Unai Emery now wants to reignite pursuit for “top defender”
Aston Villa are continuing to be proactive in the transfer market looking ahead to 2024, and boss Unai Emery is now keen to reignite his interest in an experienced defender he failed to sign this summer, according to reports.
Aston Villa international break news…
In conversation with GIVEMESPORT, journalist Dean Jones believes that Youri Tielemans will be frustrated with his lack of game time at Villa Park this campaign, stating: “Villa are having a good season so far, and it’s impacting him personally. It’s frustrating for him, with the Euros coming up at the end of this season. If you were looking from an outside point of view, and you look at what’s happened to Tielemans’ career over the past couple of seasons, you might say it’s going backwards because of his game time and the influence he’s having over games.”
Last weekend, Aston Villa recorded a point on the road away to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux in a 1-1 stalemate, and pundit Alan Shearer has claimed on Match of the Day 2 via Birmingham Live that the Villans should’ve had a penalty for Matt Doherty’s challenge on Ollie Watkins.
Shearer explained: “If he doesn’t shove him, he’s getting a clear shot at goal. Clearly he shoves him, enough for him to be off balance there. That’s why he misses the target as he does. For me, that should have been a penalty.”
Of course, the big recent news coming out of Aston Villa is that striker Watkins has signed a new contract at Villa Park that will tie him to the West Midlands-based side until the summer of 2028.
Speaking to the Villans’ official website, Watkins signalled that he is excited to be part of future plans at the club, as he said: “I’m really happy. I feel like this is the best place for me to play my football; I’ve still got a lot to achieve here. I feel like I’ve had a really good connection with the fans since I’ve come here. From day one they’ve been really good with me; we’ve had highs and lows but that’s football. You can see the direction of the club, and I want to be a part of that.”
Aston Villa transfer news – Marcos Acuna
According to a recent transfer update on Sevilla’s Marcos Acuna, Aston Villa are keen to reignite their pursuit of the Argentinian full-back and are inclined to try again to bring him to Villa Park in January.
The report doesn’t specify the type of fee it would take to acquire Acuna; however, Aston Villa boss Emery is familiar with his presence from his time in La Liga and could now enact an ambitious swoop after coming close to securing his services in the summer transfer window, with Sevilla willing to part ways with the veteran defender in the New Year.
Acuna, who was labelled a “top defender” by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, has made 135 appearances for Sevilla across all competitions, registering five goals and 13 assists (Acuna’s statistics – Transfermarkt).
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