Unai Emery names two Aston Villa players who can leave Villa Park this month
Unai Emery has confirmed that he has told Morgan Sanson and Marvelous Nakamba they can leave Aston Villa in the January window.
With the Villa boss on the market for a new midfielder, having been linked with the likes of Matteo Guendouzi [Ben Jacobs, 11 January], it leaves both Sanson who the club bought for £16m from Marseille and Nakamba with uncertain roles in Emery’s side.
The Spaniard has already completed two January deals so far, signing Alex Moreno from Real Betis [11 January], and close to completing a deal to sign [16 January] Chicago Fire striker Jhon Duran.
The signing of Moreno could well also allow Ludwig Augustinsson a chance to leave in search of regular football elsewhere too, and Emery confirmed, speaking in his pre-match press conference, that he is assessing his squad with some allowed to leave this month [via BirminghamLive on 19 January].
He said: “We are speaking about how we can improve. Some players like Nakamba, I told him to leave. Sanson, as well, is in the possibility to leave but Sanson, for me, is a very good player.
“He understands very good how we want to play and he has the skill to do it. But he has to play in a team to be consistent, trying to play more and here, it’s difficult to give him it. He is, as well, finding something to leave.
“If they are leaving, Nakamba, Sanson, maybe we try to add one player more inside, inside midfielder. It’s not clear about this possibility because I want to sign one player [who can] improve the quality of the squad.”
Authority
It is clear to see that Emery is certainly stamping his authority on proceedings straight away at Villa Park. He’s already sanctioned the sale of Danny Ings to West Ham, a deal which could come as a blow to him for the rest of this campaign.
However, it seems as if the former Villarreal has a clear picture of how he wants his new team to look in the coming months, and that should come as some sort of enthusiasm and optimism for the Villans faithful.
This is a manager with real European pedigree, one who knows how to build and shape a football club into his image, as he’s shown throughout his career at Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal – clubs billed as so-called “smaller” clubs in the Spanish La Liga, but ones he made into real European giants.
Providing he is backed and given the tools and resources to work his magic in West Midlands, Emery could well do the same to Aston Villa – a club desperate to upset the top six order in the future.