Emery Content with Squad Depth as Villa Show Resilience in Europe
As the transfer window edges towards its 11pm deadline next Friday, Unai Emery has issued a composed update regarding Aston Villa’s market activity. The Villa boss, speaking ahead of a crucial fixture, suggested he is “more or less happy” with the current shape of his squad, though he refused to rule out further movement if the right opportunity arises.
Sporting director Monchi has already been busy, adding seven new faces to the dressing room. However, the door remains ajar for departures; Samuel Iling-Junior could be set for a loan move, following in the footsteps of Lewis Dobbin, the club’s first summer arrival who has already been temporarily shipped out.
“Something can change, players leaving, or players joining,” Emery admitted during his pre-match press conference. “The most important things in the transfer window, we did.”
Eyes on the Gunners
Domestically, the immediate focus is a massive clash at Villa Park against Arsenal this Saturday. Villa are hunting consecutive wins to kickstart the new campaign, having beaten the Gunners twice last term. History is seemingly on their side; they have managed to beat Arsenal in three consecutive Premier League meetings on two previous occasions, in November 1993 and February 2021.
Regarding team selection, Amadou Onana was the solitary debutant to start the opening-weekend fixture at West Ham, although Ian Maatsen and Jaden Philogene made compelling cases for themselves off the bench. Ross Barkley remained an unused substitute, while Enzo Barrenechea missed out on the matchday squad entirely.
Drama on the Continent
While the club awaits news of their eight opponents in the upcoming Champions League draw, the squad has already demonstrated grit in European competition, specifically in the Europa League where they recently secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over RB Salzburg.
Despite having already qualified for the knockout stages, Villa approached the Salzburg tie with intensity. Within the opening 30 seconds, Ollie Watkins and Harvey Elliott forced goalkeeper Alexander Schlager into a flurry of saves. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez was equally busy at the other end, producing vital stops against Soumaila Diabate and Karim Konaté.
However, the deadlock was broken following a lapse in concentration from Tyrone Mings. The defender hesitated in possession, allowing Edmund Baidoo to intercept and cross for Konaté, who tapped into an empty net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at the break.
The Fightback
Matters worsened immediately after the restart. Salzburg’s Kerim Alajbegović embarked on a dazzling run past two defenders before cutting the ball back for substitute Moussa Yeo, who doubled the lead with a clever backheel. Trailing 2-0, Villa faced their sternest test of the season.
The response was emphatic. In the 65th minute, slick interplay between Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers allowed the latter to rifle a shot into the near corner, halving the deficit. The momentum had truly shifted, and Mings soon found redemption for his earlier error. Rising highest to meet a Matty Cash cross in the 76th minute, the centre-back powered home a header to level the scores at 2-2.
The turnaround was completed in the dying moments by the club’s youth prospects. Substitutes Kadan Young and Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba combined effectively, with Jimoh-Aloba applying a refined finish to seal a memorable 3-2 win on his European debut.
This result extended Villa’s home winning streak in Europe to seven matches, concluding their Europa League group campaign with seven wins from eight games—a record that firmly establishes them as title contenders. Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest thrashed Ferencvaros 4-0, securing 13th place and a spot in the play-offs for the Round of 16.
