Unai Emery got in the way of a potential exit from Aston Villa over the summer, it has been reported, with the Spanish coach keen to keep one man at the club despite offers to sell.
Aston Villa flying high under Emery
Though a 0-0 home draw with struggling Manchester United dampened spirits at Villa Park somewhat, it has been an excellent start to the season for the midlands side.
Currently fifth in the Premier League, they have lost just once (to second-placed Arsenal) and are just four points off early pace setters Liverpool.
Premier League table as it stands
Team
Played
Won
Drawn
Lost
Goal difference
Points
Liverpool
7
6
0
1
11
18
Manchester City
7
5
2
0
9
17
Arsenal
7
5
2
0
9
17
Chelsea
7
4
2
1
7
14
Aston Villa
7
4
2
1
3
14
Though their fixture list has not been the most demanding (including games against struggling Everton, West Ham and Leicester City), they have still made a strong start to their attempts to become a mainstay at the top after their fourth-placed finish last season.
Their best moment of the season so far has come in the Champions League though; playing in Europe’s premier competition for the first time since the 1980s, they have won both of their games so far, including a 1-0 win over German giants Bayern Munich at Villa Park, settled by a fantastic strike from Jhon Duran.
It follows a tricky summer transfer window in which Duran was one of several players that could well have been sold in a bid to balance the books at Villa Park as they battled financial fair play regulations.
He was not the only star to have proved his worth after being denied a move though.
Emery personally blocked Aston Villa exit
That comes as The Athletic report that Emery personally intervened to block young defender Lamare Bogarde’s departure from Villa Park after a bid was received from Nottingham Forest over the summer.
Villa’s midlands rivals tabled a £4m offer to sign the defender, and it had already been decided that Bogarde “move on or agree a new deal” before the new campaign.
Yet to break into the first team, he had been dubbed “quality” by Joey Barton during a loan spell with Bristol Rovers.
“He’s quality, isn’t he?” Barton said. “You can see his composure and he is young in terms of years on the clock, but he is very mature and he passes the ball correctly.”
But a debut for Villa was yet to emerge.
Aston Villa wanted to sign £54m star on a free but got Duran instead
Aston Villa could have won the services of this superstar.
ByKelan SarsonOct 13, 2024
However, Emery, who was “a growing advocate” of the youngster, chose to take him on the pre-season tour of the USA rather than accept an offer from their Premier League rivals. During that tour, Bogarde impressed and “convinced Emery he should be part of his 2024-25 squad”, something that saw him sign a new deal at Villa Park not long after.
He has gone on to make two appearances this season, both coming in an unfamiliar right-back role rather than the centre-back role he has played for much of his youth career, with Bogarde asked to tuck inside when required similarly to Ezri Konsa when the England international plays the same role.
Clearly, Emery has seen something in the youngster, and given his reputation for developing young talent, that will be an exciting theme to watch this season.
