Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has played down the prospect of raiding Villarreal for the likes of Pau Torres, Yeremy Pino or Nicolas Jackson, speaking to Marca after sealing his return to the Premier League.
Talk about a ‘new manager bounce’.
Aston Villa, during their first game of the Unai Emery era, looked like a team capable of leaping into the atmopshere and plucking the sun out of the Midlands sky on Sunday afternoon, racing into a 2-0 lead inside nine minutes against in-form Manchester United; all that pent up frustration exploding out like packet of mentos dropping into a two-litre bottle of Pepsi.
Emery brings with him expert man-management, an obsession with the small details, and a proven winning mentality.
Some have even suggested that the Spaniard could lay the foundations for a couple of his trusted lieutenants to arrive at Bodymoor Heath, with Jackson, Pino and £57 million Spain international centre-half Torres three players to be linked with a move to England’s second city in recent days (La Razon).
Could Unai Emery’s Aston Villa raid Villarreal in the transfer window?
“My objective is not to bring players from Villarreal,” Emery explains; playing down the speculation of a raid on his old employers.
“It is to bring the concept that we generated at Villarreal. From there, if a player fits us and we can do it, we would take the step.
“Villarreal has demanding objectives and they have achieved them. The best thing about Villarreal has been making a winning team. That, abroad, gives you tremendous recognition.”
Emery, who added another Europa League title to his enviable collection on the Castellon coast, returns to England with something of a point to prove. His previous spell lasted after just 16 topsy-turvy months at Arsenal.
“I am better prepared to face a new challenge in the Premier League,” Emery adds. “I already have a year and four months of experience in this league.
“My first year at Arsenal was nice. It was broken by some things I have identified. I am now going to try to avoid (the same problems). I have always had a goal of having a new opportunity, and coming back better prepared. At Villarreal, I have acquired a continuity that has led to them calling me back from England.”
Aston Villa will face Manchester United again in the EFL Cup on Thursday. A trip to in-form Brighton follows before the World Cup break. Villa are now 14th in the table, and have two wins in three games since Steven Gerrard’s sacking.
They hammered Brentford 4-0, but then found themselves on the wrong end at Newcastle United.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
