Youri Tielemans axe v AZ could be final nail in coffin at Aston Villa, Unai Emery decision crucial
Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans has become a bit-part player since his move summer move and another axe v AZ Alkmaar on Thursday could prove the final nail in the coffin for his Villa Park career.
The 26-year-old has struggled for game time since joining the Villans on a free transfer in the summer from Leicester City and is yet to start a Premier League fixture for the West Midlands club.
The midfielder had been highly sought after for a number of years by several big clubs, but Emery persuaded him to make the move to the Villans after qualifying for the Europa Conference League last season.
However, the midfielder has fallen out of favour under Unai Emery despite only arriving in the summer transfer window.
He made his feelings known about how he is being utilised by Unai Emery since his arrival from Leicester City in the summer when speaking to the media on international duty [DH les Sports, 8 September].
Former Eurosport journalist Dean Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that Tielemans may not be on Villa’s books for much longer as his selfish attitude does not match the atmosphere Emery is attempting to create behind the scenes.
Football Insider reported on 11 October that the Belgium international wants to leave Villa Park in January due to a fallout with manager Unai Emery.
Tielemans has played in every single one of Villa’s matches this season but he hasn’t played for more than 45 minutes in the league since the opening-day defeat at Newcastle.
His recent international displays have only further compounded his struggles at Villa Park or could arguably be a result of his rarely-used situation under Emery.
Against Sweden on Monday evening (16 October), Tielemans was handed a start for his country only because of Amadou Onana’s red card against Austria.
The fact that he’s no longer a starter for his country again highlights how much Tielemans’ stock has fallen this year but also a direct consequence of his lack of opportunities in the West Midlands.
Despite all that, it was a first-half to forget again for the Villa man as he was nowhere to be seen in a lacklustre display, failing to register any key passes, and losing possession of the ball seven times.
Tielemans did win 100% of his aerial duels however and two ground duels [SofaScore] but it was certainly a performance which failed to convince Emery or Domenico Tedesco in the Belgium hotseat that he deserves to regain his place in the team from the off.
It remains to be seen whether bridges can be mended again between Tielemans and Emery and his recent performances suggest he may have bitten off more than he can chew when he made the move over the summer.
Aston Villa face off in a crucial match-up against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League on Thursday, and Emery may well be tempted to keep the same team that started their impressive and rampant 4-1 victory over West Ham United on Sunday (22 October).
The Belgian international came off the bench to assist the fourth goal scored by Leon Bailey but that may not be enough to see him start the match in Holland.
Should Tielemans be axed again by the Spaniard, it may well be the final nail in the coffin of his short Villa Park career and an exit in January could be inevitable.
In other Aston Villa news, the ball is in this player’s court after a reported behind-the-scenes bust-up with Unai Emery.