Unai Emery outlines Aston Villa transfer plans before Monday’s deadline: ‘It is clear’

Aston Villa have failed to score in their opening two Premier League matches of the season and boss Unai Emery wants to further strengthen before Monday night’s deadline, having been restricted by Premier League regulations

Unai Emery wants to add at least TWO more players to his squad before Monday’s 7pm transfer deadline – but will refuse to sign anyone who doesn’t improve the team.

It has been a challenging window for Villa, who are restricted by the Premier League and UEFA’s financial regulations. The club sold Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle United for £40million and allowed Leon Bailey to join AS Roma on loan, while Kaine Kesler-Hayden, Enzo Barrenechea, and Kosta Nedeljkovic have also departed.

So far, only two players have joined Villa’s first team: Back-up goalkeeper Marco Bizot, for an undisclosed fee, and Evann Guessand in a deal worth £30million. Guessand made his Villa debut last Saturday, but the club remains active in the market, with Emi Buendía potentially departing amid interest from VfB Stuttgart.

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Marco Asensio could return after his loan spell last season, though reaching an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain has proved difficult, and the player’s high wages are also a concern.

Villa have not been short of players offered to them this window, but their financial position means that other Premier League sides – even those not in European competition – are better placed to complete such deals.

“We are not being the strongest team in the transfer window – it is clear,” Emery admitted. “But I accept it. When we arrived here, we knew the way that we needed to do. It was not in my expectation to play Europe three years in a row and be in the Champions League.

“We are not like some teams with the power they have in recruitment, but we are being intelligent and responsible. We are trying to get enough balance in the rules, which we have to respect, to find how to get the best squad possible.

“The circumstances we had changed a little bit, because we didn’t expect two players to leave two weeks ago – we were expecting maybe to leave before, and we could have more time to do our transfer window. Some players as well are now in the squad, and I think they are going to stay with us. Maybe two months ago, we were expecting they were closer to leaving than staying here with us.

“But we have to adapt quickly. We are not expecting something special for the last three days around letting some players leave in the last two to three days. We are expecting to add some players, because we need to improve only for numbers in the squad with the players we will want for the season, and now we need two or three more players. This is the idea.”

Emery added: “It is not easy to get players in the last moments like we are. We do not sign a player if we are not convinced that they can help. Like we were two years ago and last year, we have to be competitive in the last days in the window.

“We still have around 10 players from the first day we were here, and we are progressively trying to improve and to get more players as well. We are selling some important players, but because we think our business is important as well. But we try to get the balance, always thinking the priority is sport performance.”

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