Unai Emery must avoid reunion with Giovani Lo Celso at Aston Villa amid fresh transfer news
Unai Emery is said to be interested in a reunion with Argentina midfielder Giovani Lo Celso this summer as he looks to bolster his Aston Villa squad, according to the Daily Mail.
Emery was the manager at Villarreal when Lo Celso arrived from Tottenham on loan and helped him to rediscover the excellent form that saw the north London side splash £27.2m on his permanent signature.
But it never quite worked out for him in England and he returned to La Liga again at the start of this season, once again linking up with Emery.
Emery obviously left to come to Aston Villa in November and left Lo Celso in Spain, but the Argentine has continued his good form and is reportedly back on the wishlist of the boss for the summer.
But there should be some concerns from Villa fans about this deal if it goes through, because it’s hard to see how he really improves us at this stage.
According to WhoScored, Lo Celso’s best form in La Liga has largely come under a manager that isn’t Emery, with his second half of the season stats outshining that of his first spell with Emery from January 2022.
And there should be some concern as to the fact he never managed to make it work at Tottenham either during a period where they were a strong outfit with an elite coach in Jose Mourinho.
He never really adapted to the physical and fast nature of the league and it’s no surprise that he has shone in a league that is more technical and possession-based, with some performances described as “outstanding”.
When you compare him statistically to the current midfielders at Villa Park under Emery, it’s hard to see how he improves the team really.
Douglas Luiz has been the stand-out performer, leading on the vast majority of metrics including goals, assists and pass success rate per 90 minutes this season, while Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn provide excellent backup options in a more defensive role.
But Lo Celso’s only statistic that outshines what would be his new Villa colleagues is that he shoots more often, which is no doubt aided by the fact he has played as a false nine on occasions this season.
At 27 he is entering the peak of his career so he won’t get any better, and it’s hard to see what he can offer this side that we don’t already have in abundance.
It’s likely to be pricey, so Emery would be best served avoiding this deal altogether and putting the money to better use in other areas of the squad.
In other Aston Villa news, this ace deserves a new contract after obvious improvements under Emery.