Unai Emery suffers ‘Huge’ transfer market blow – Ex-Aston Villa employee
Bryan King has described João Félix’s decision to sign for Chelsea as a “huge blow” to Aston Villa manager Unai Emery.
The ex-Villa scout claims the forward would have been better off joining up with Emery rather than moving to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea confirmed the signing of Villa target Félix via the club’s official website on Wednesday (21 August).
And King – speaking exclusively to Villa News – believes the 24-year-old’s decision to join the Blues was a financially motivated one.
“This is a huge blow for Emery,” King said.
“It was clear that he wanted the player at Villa Park. I have no idea why Félix is joining Chelsea.
“They look just as much in disarray as they did last season and I’m not convinced about the manager either. I would have definitely thought Félix would have been better off at Villa.
“If I were him that is where I would have gone. Villa are more stable, they’re in the UEFA Champions League. It looks to me as if this is down to the big money he and his agent would have been offered.”
Aston Villa target João Félix signs for Chelsea
On paper, it would be hard to argue that Chelsea are currently a better choice than Villa.
Emery is building a long-term project at Villa Park and recently committed his long-term future to the club, with his goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez following in his footsteps this week (Aston Villa via X, 21 August).
It doesn’t take much digging to figure out that Villa are a much more stable club than Chelsea at this moment in time.
Therefore, it is perhaps slightly surprising that Félix has decided to return to Chelsea when Villa had exposed an interest in the Portugal international.
However, while the reasons for the transfer remain unclear, after his last spell in the Premier League and form in recent years, some supporters at the club might feel as though Villa have dodged a bullet.
In other Aston Villa news, a prediction over Jhon Duran’s future has emerged after Emery’s recent comments.
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.