Aston Villa started their summer spending spree by raiding Chelsea to sign exciting youngster Ian Maatsen.
The 22-year-old joined Aston Villa in a £37.5million move from the Blues in June and Aston Villa have shown no signs of slowing down in the transfer market.
Seven more signings have walked through the doors at Villa Park, with the latest being Amadou Onana after a £50million agreement was struck with Everton.
Ian Maatsen spent last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund where he played a key part in their run to the Champions League final.
After spending the summer with the Netherlands squad at Euro 2024, he is set to join up with Villa’s first-team squad shortly ahead of their pre-season trip to the United States.
Ian Maatsen on Unai Emery
Maatsen sat down with the media team at Aston Villa to discuss his move to the club, and he had a few kind words for his new manager.
With Villa looking forward to playing in the Champions League next season, Maatsen hailed Unai Emery and pointed out his fantastic record in Europe.
“The coach, obviously, is very brilliant with a lot of experience in Europe,” he said on Aston Villa’s official YouTube channel.
“We play Champions League this year so it’s exciting.
“He is a manager who loves to be playing football and winning trophies. That was the challenge for me to come here and show the people that we are capable of winning at the highest level.”
Aston Villa next season
After a superb season under Emery last season, Villa have wasted no time celebrating this summer and have got to work on their transfer business.
Losing Douglas Luiz was a blow, but Villa have moved quickly to source good replacements and they look to be in a better place for the start of the new season.
READ MORE: ‘He disappears’… Steve Nicol warns Aston Villa that £50m target could get Unai Emery sacked
Maatsen is a long-term investment but fans will be excited to see him slot straight into the first team after exciting at Dortmund last year.
With a young and exciting squad, they should feel confident about springing a surprise in the upcoming Champions League campaign.
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