The Motivations Behind the Tielemans Move
The reason Aston Villa have been able to sign SC Freiburg’s Johan Manzambi has suddenly revealed itself, as Villa’s transfer window seemed to finally fire-up in earnest.
After the announcement of Johan Manzambi’s deal was breaking, many Villa fans were doing the maths of how a €60m fee was going to work in terms of the restrictions of their UEFA settlement. Was it doable factoring in FIFA’s compensation package for injured Amadou Onana’s wages, getting Louie Barry’s £35k+ wages off the books, and fringe transfer deals like Lewis Dobbin to Southampton?
It soon turned out there was a bigger kicker to the deal, as the reports came out that Youri Tielemans was in advance talks with Manchester United, after they reportedly triggered the Belgium captain’s £35m release clause.
Tielemans’ Own Move Motivation
At 29, with two years left on his contract, this was always likely to be Tielemans’ last chance at securing the biggest payday of his career. In terms of attracting potential suitors, the recent impressive additions to his highlights reel, with his World Cup exploits and his Europa League Final magic, certainly timed well. Villa, boxed in by UEFA’s financial settlement, while keen to extend his contract, were never going to be the ones to give him a significant increase themselves, as doing so would have been reckless business.
Also, timing-wise, next summer, when the midfielder will be aged 30 with one-year left on his contract, Villa wouldn’t be able to command a £35m fee then.
It’s also worth remembering Tielemans arrived at Villa Park on a free transfer, meaning the £35m fee they would receive registers as booked profit.
When it comes to the financial gymnastics that Villa have to pull to rebuild an aging squad while trying to be financial compliant, then considering Tielemans’ own motivations, a move for the player perhaps is more favourable than the likes of Ezri Konsa or Morgan Rogers.
Devil’s Advocate Stance
Tielemans played a big part last season in helping win the Europa League and getting them back into the Champions League, availability was an issue for the midfielder last season. He missed a significant chunk of the Premier League campaign with injury, finishing with 21 league starts and four more appearances from the bench. His recent injury during the warm-up for Belgium ahead of their quarter-final tie with Spain didn’t go unnoticed.
While Tielemans is a much-loved character at Villa his only full season for Villa was the middle of his three seasons with 35 league starts (and one substitute appearance), as in his first season, Unai Emery drip-fed him into the side: 15 of his 32 league appearances that year came off the bench before he established himself.
If there has been a criticism of his game, it is goals. Tielemans has never been prolific. What he does have, though, is a knack for the ones that matter. He scored a late brace to turn Belgium’s recent World Cup knockout tie with Senegal around, the volley that put Villa 1-0 up in the Europa League final in Istanbul, and, back at Leicester City, the winner in the 2021 FA Cup final against Chelsea.
Ultimately, though, Tielemans was certainly one of Villa’s better players and a prime mover behind their recent successful season. He’ll be a miss, and coupled with the long-term injury to Onana, how Villa’s midfield shapes up over the coming weeks will be intriguing to see.
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