The November international break has allowed Aston Villa to take stock of their strong start to the campaign as they head into the festive football period and the January transfer window.
Villa have already played 19 games in all competitions so far this season, but despite the Europa Conference League group stage campaign drawing to a close in the coming weeks, things will only ramp up for Unai Emery's side in the next few months. After winning eight of their first 12 league games, expectations are building at Villa Park, which is testament to the remarkable job which Emery has performed over the last 12 months.
He has had to deal with two major injuries at the start of this season, while Jacob Ramsey and Alex Moreno both suffered setbacks in their respective return from injury too. Emery will be given a big boost when the duo return after the break, while he will also have an eye on the upcoming transfer window, which opens in just over six weeks' time.
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VILLA'S TRANSFER SPEND IN PERSPECTIVE
Villa are the second football club that has invested most of its 2023 current club value on new transfers. That's according to a new study by City Index, which analysed data from Deloitte to establish which of the top 30 football clubs invest the most of their revenue and current worth from player transfer activities.
Newcastle United have spent the most of its current club value of £631.35 million on transfers this year, at 15.8 per cent. In second place is Villa, who have spent 12.6 per cent (£75.68 million) on new transfers. They spent 40 per cent (£75.68 million) of their revenue on overall transfers this year.
Villa started the January window by signing Alex Moreno, before Jhon Duran joined later in the month following Danny Ings’ exit to West Ham. In the summer window, Villa signed Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby, while Youri Tielemans arrived on a free transfer and Clement Lenglet and Nicolo Zaniolo signed on loan for the rest of the season.
The January window gives Emery an opportunity to bolster his squad further and president of football operations, Monchi, is in dialogue with the Villa head coach on a regular basis.
TORRES HAILS McGINN
Torres appears to have adapted to the Premier League having put in some excellent performances under Emery over the last few months. He was culpable for a few goals which Villa conceded in the opening weeks of the campaign, but those errors have been ironed out.
He is arguably the most progressive centre-back in Europe as no defender in Europe’s top five leagues has registered a higher progressive carrying distance than Torres, while only one centre-back in the Premier League has recorded more passes into the final third this term.
Torres will play a crucial role in any success Villa enjoy this season and is enjoying his football at Villa Park. In Villa’s recent win over Fulham, Torres hailed skipper John McGinn for his display, which helped the club win their 13th home league match in a row.
“He was very strong, winning the duels with Palhinha, who is a strong player.” Torres said. “He gave us a lot in the game and I am really happy for him with his goal and his performance.
“He always speaks with the team and motivates us to keep working. In the past he has lived some difficult moments with the club but now he is really enjoying it and is helping us a lot.”
EMERY URGED TO FOCUS ON SILVERWARE
Before Villa’s win over AZ Alkmaar at home last week, McGinn admitted he has thought about lifting silverware this season. Villa have been installed as favourites to win the Europa Conference League come May, but given their strong start to the Premier League season, pundits have questioned whether Emrey should prioritise the domestic campaign rather than the Europa Conference League.
Former Villa boss Roberto Di Matteo believes Emery should focus on European football this term even if fifth-place Villa are three points off top spot after 12 games and are four points ahead of Manchester United, who are in sixth during the November international break.
''Unai Emery is an extraordinary manager and he's achieved some amazing things since taking over at Villa,” Di Matteo told DAZN Bet. “If you look at the Premier League table in terms of total points obtained since the date he arrived, you'll find Villa near the top.
“They play some really good football, and it'll be interesting to see what they do this season. They're in the Conference League games added on, but they're up there in terms of fighting for the top six.
“They're hard to beat at home, and there are some really good signs. I think Aston Villa should absolutely prioritise the Conference League this season.
“A trophy is a trophy, after all! It's a bit like the Carabao Cup - you have to try to win it if you find yourself in the latter stages. Trophies validate everybody's work and it gives you a huge amount of satisfaction and makes all the work you've done feel worth it.”
CLARET & BLUE CATCH-UP
