Unai Emery has obvious plan for Jacob Ramsey amid Aston Villa exit news
Jacob Ramsey has been consistently linked with a move away from Aston Villa since the end of last season.
The midfielder has not developed quite as expected over the last few campaigns, and that has seen him gradually fall down the pecking order in B6, to the point where he started just 19 Premier League games in 2024/25.
Ramsey has been linked with an array of different Premier League clubs over the last few weeks, with Nottingham Forest the latest to take an interest in the 24-year-old.
His potential departure would raise valuable cash for the Villans to spend, but the story surrounding his future has taken a huge twist in recent days.
This article includes exclusive comment from former Aston Villa scout Bryan King.
Emery to boost Ramsey’s minutes as contract extension lined up
Unai Emery has made it clear in the past that he is a big fan of Ramsey, and the Spanish boss will surely have had a crucial say in the discussion surrounding his place at Villa Park.
He predicted Ramsey to become a “big player” for the club, and that stance has arguably been reflected in the recent news that Villa are preparing to offer the midfielder a new contract.
Lucas Digne has already inked new terms to extend his stay, and the academy graduate could now be about to do the same, which would surely put a halt to any talk of an exit.
- Ramsey notched one goal and three assists in the Premier League in 2024/25
- That total was a far cry from his best return in 2022/23, when he hit six goals and seven assists
- Ramsey is a homegrown player for Villa so will be crucial for their Europa League squad
Ex-Villa scout Bryan King – speaking exclusively to Villa News – believes that Emery will be looking to hand Ramsey around 25 games in the Premier League this term, as he looks to boost the minutes on offer to the homegrown star.
“I would certainly like to think that if Ramsey started 19 times last season, he should be starting around 25 games this season,” King said.
“If you’ve decent cover with the likes of Ramsey, why would you want to get rid of him?
“Villa are going to be playing in Europe, and they’re obviously wanting to finish in the top four and get into the Champions League.
“He’s still at a decent age, and you’d be looking for him to be involved more.
“Villa will be challenging for positions, and also in Europe again, and that requires more than 11 players.”
Aston Villa have made the right call on Ramsey
Ramsey has struggled to regain his form from his early first-team years at Villa, but he still has plenty of room to grow as a player.
Late developers are becoming more and more common at the top level of football now, as not all players reach their true potential by the early years of their twenties.
The 24-year-old has undoubtedly had a couple of challenging seasons, but it would be wrong for Villa to write off a player who has previously shown that he has so much talent.
Emery and Co. are right to be looking to keep him around, and with the possibility of more minutes to come, this could be the year when Ramsey gets back to his best.
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