The Good, Bad and Ugly Summer Transfer Update
New faces in, old faces going or gone, minutes in the tank and a new great hope, just the standard Villa preseason so far.
The Good and Bad?
Like everything at this point, the proof of any preseason groundwork won’t be felt until the first ball is kicked or later; like a boxing match, the plan only lasts until you get smacked in the mouth.
The good so far can only be Aston Villa’s bank balance.
£117 million for Morgan Rogers is an exceptional fee considering the current climate. Rogers was a great asset to Villa in his time with 125 appearances, 31 goals and a Europa League title to add to two Champions League qualifications.
Stack that up against anyone leaving Villa Park this millennium, and he’s well on top. He owes us nothing and can leave on good terms even if his choice of destination, Chelsea, is a bit of an underwhelming one to outsiders.
£35 million via a release clause for Youri Tielemans is a different story. Even for a 29-year-old, it’s down on what would have been acceptable. This is the price Villa paid for getting him on a free transfer.
If the value was more and the destination wasn’t Manchester United, then like Rogers, Tielemans could leave with held held high after the same list of achievements. The manner of his exit just leaves a bitter taste.
However, his loss could be the most keenly felt in terms of experience and creativity on the pitch.
Lucas Digne, whose impending retirement move to PSG remains to be announced at the time of writing, is ‘another one’ who Villa should be applauding on the way out.
Signed by Steven Gerrard, Digne has been forever dogged by the cost of his wages with some sections of Villa fans. Nobody ever knew how much they were, just that they were said to be large.
An often clumsy lack of spatial awareness in his own area and a tendency to give up on chasing pace wingers betrayed someone who could rightly be called Aston Villa’s most steady player, and he was always picked for the most important games.
Despite efforts to replace him, he saw off the competition of Alex Moreno and Ian Maatsen in his time and contributed six assists in his final season, the best contribution from a defender in the league. At 33, now a fee of around £ 8 million, via a release clause, represents a fitting end to his Villa career at the club he now has most appearances for.
The other bad news is the injury to Amadou Onana sustained on World Cup duty.
As is the case with Emery’s Villa, they can’t go a period of time without a serious knee injury or two in the middle of the park. Just as Boubacar Kamara comes back from his own knee injury, Onana gets ruled out for 9-12 months. The fact that FIFA will cover his wages during this time is a small consolation for the club, but of course not for the player, who will be missed.
There was also the departure of set-piece coach Austin Macphee to Chelsea. While inventive at times, there was a visible overcomplication when things didn’t work out. Surely a replacement will look to improve on the midtable defensive record the Scot had during his five years at Villa? Last season Villa conceded 13 from set pieces in the league, with only seven sides performing worse.
Of course, when one door closes, another opens, and who is walking through?
New Villans of the Week/Month
Johan Manzambi – Unknown until Villa fans had to find out a bit about Freiburg before the Europa League Final, the 20-year-old Swiss Midfielder looked to be heading to Newcastle; however, a combination of Onana’s injury and Tielemans’ defection meant Villa swooped in and took the player for around £50 million
Manzambi is an interesting player. He has a number of useful attributes: box-to-box, high energy, long throw, decent shot and strong in the tackle; he could be a bit of a Swiss Army Knife of a signing. While outwardly he is to replace Rogers, it could be he is John McGinn’s long-term successor, as the Villa midfield’s dynamo.
Joao Gomes – Another midfielder who was touted for other teams, landed at Villa from relegated Wolves for a surprise £35 million.
This signing adds a different dimension for Villa, but he is younger and more combative than previous options. Since his debut in the Premier league in February 2023 he has made more tackles than any other player across the top five leagues in Europe. Last season, only James Garner won more tackles than his 68 by three.
With someone else to take the tackling burden and replace Onana, will this allow Kamara to move further forward and get out of the firing line for a season? Who knows?
The Ugly
You will have noticed one player was missing from the incomings.
Alejandro Garnacho – Signed on a conditional loan with a view to a permanent £40 million switch, the divisive Argentine winner comes in after being a target of Emery’s for some time.
At just 22 years old and with a Puskás award to his name, he’s certainly a high-profile signing.
Unfortunately, the ugly reaction to the signing from pundits and commentators means that for a third season running Emery will have the handicap of rehabilitating a failed Manchester United star as a subplot.
First Marcus Rashford, then Jadon Sancho have been through the Emery Centre for underachieving widows with understated success; in the preceding seasons, now it’s Garnacho’s turn.
The main problem with the player isn’t his ability; it’s the perception everyone has of him. Of all the available players in the Premier League, Garnacho would have been one you would have avoided with a barge pole.
As well as questionable social media posts, rumoured leaking of teams before games and a supposed high opinion of his own ability according to ex-coach Nicky Butt, he is a divisive signing, especially when you have lost the prize asset of Morgan Rogers in the process.
Garnacho will have to excel to not be compared to Rogers, especially if the ex-Villan gets off to a flyer at Chelsea. It just seems an unnecessary hurdle in a season where Champions League participation and future qualification are essential.
As a player, Garnacho had Villa’s number on the pitch and has always impressed against them, but he will need to light it up for Emery’s side to escape the long shadow left by Morgan Rogers’ exit. Over to you Unai.
UTV
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Well a decent article but it’s only telling us what we already know