Aston Villa news round-up: Player speaks out on summer exit talk as Emi Martinez call made
Aston Villa’s deadline day antics have rumbled into the international break.
Harvey Elliott signed for Aston Villa on loan from Liverpool, in a huge coup for the Villans’ forward line.
Jadon Sancho has also added competition up front for Unai Emery’s side, but things weren’t all plain sailing for Villa.
Here, Villa News rounds up all of the latest updates from Villa Park within the last 24 hours.
Gabby Agbonlahor backs Ezri Konsa to start for England
England’s game against Andorra at Villa Park could see the return of some familiar faces.
Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers look set to play a part, but Thomas Tuchel must make some difficult decisions in defence.
There will be hope to see Aston Villa star Ezri Konsa feature for England, with former Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor backing the defender to play for the Three Lions.
| Stat per 90 (Premier League 24/25) | Ezri Konsa |
| Successful passes | 1523.0 |
| Pass accuracy (%) | 93.3 |
| Tackles won | 18 |
| Duels won | 120 |
| Fouls won | 47 |
Speaking on TalkSport on 5 September, he said: “I want to see a centre-half pairing that can play games together, that’s the most important part for me in these two games. I’m saying Konsa.
“I know Stones is a very good player with loads of experience for England, but he has injury problems, and Konsa plays every game for Aston Villa, so I’d go Konsa and Guehi.”
It is fair to say that Brazil disagreed with his co-host, snapping back: “Villa are struggling at the moment. Gabby, open your eyes.”
Ezri Konsa slams PSR restrictions at Aston Villa
Profit and Sustainability Rules have halted Villa’s progress in the summer transfer window.
It would be assumed that Emery’s current batch of players wouldn’t mind the restrictions, given that they offer players less competition for their positions.
However, Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa has slammed PSR.
He told the Daily Mirror: “Yeah, it is crazy. I don’t understand it myself, but from the outside looking in, it doesn’t look too good. I know that. I know it’s really killed us this transfer window.
“We’re going to have to deal with what we’ve got now. Like I say, we’ve a great squad, I believe in our squad. I believe in our manager. Hopefully, the boys who have come in can really help us and push us on.”
Aston Villa will reintegrate Emi Martinez into their squad
Emi Martinez has had a blockbuster last couple of weeks as he looked to join Manchester United.
The Argentine was left out of the squad for Villa’s 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, with Emery claiming that his mind was elsewhere.
On deadline day, the call never came from United to sign Martinez, and he ended up staying with the Villans.
- Martinez has conceded just 256 goals in 211 appearances for Villa
- He has kept 69 clean sheets during his five years at Aston Villa
- The Argentine turned 33 in awkward circumstances on 2 September
Aston Villa have now made a decision on Martinez.
According to The Athletic, he is expected to be reintegrated into Aston Villa’s squad after failing to secure a move to Manchester United on transfer deadline day.
Sources close to Martinez have said that the plan is for the Argentine to return following the international break and be available for selection.
Worries still remain over Villa’s number one, with fears growing that the 33-year-old could again try to force a move away in January.
Matty Cash opens up on Aston Villa exit talk
Matty Cash was also linked with a move away from Villa.
The Poland international attracted interest from his former club, Nottingham Forest, but Cash now shut down claims that he wanted to leave Villa.
Villa will look to open contract talks with Cash and defensive partner Pau Torres in the coming weeks, in a clear sign that the right-back is in Emery’s plans.
Speaking to PA, he said: “I’ve loved my time at Villa for the last five years, and hopefully I can have many years still at the club. I love the club, I’m really settled in Birmingham.
“If you’ve got clubs coming in for you, it’s obviously a good sign. But I love playing for Villa. I love playing under Unai and, hopefully, for many years I can keep doing that.
“We’re the ones that are out there on the pitch. Our jobs as players, we get paid to perform on the pitch, and that’s all we can do.
“We’ve got a good, strong group. We’re very close together as a team. So it’s important to have that.
“We’ve done well because I think the squad has togetherness, and in tough times like this, obviously, you need to stick together. You need to be a group and a squad, and I think we’ve done that.”
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