Unai Emery vindicated as Aston Villa star outperforms key Premier League stat
Emi Buendia is outperforming his expected goals on target in the Premier League after a rocky start to his career at Aston Villa.
Buendia was loaned to Bayer Leverkusen for the second half of the 2024/25 season after he missed the entire 2023/24 campaign due to an ACL injury.
Unai Emery began trusting Buendia again during pre-season, where Villa fans greatly appreciated his performances.
He has now gone from strength to strength during this season in what has been a complete reversal of fortunes at Villa Park.
Emi Buendia clinical for Aston Villa
Buendia’s last goal for the Villans came in the form of a spectacular free-kick in Villa’s shock 4-0 win over Bournemouth before the international break.
Indeed, he has netted three goals from two expected goals [xG] on target this season.
For reference, Erling Haaland has scored 14 from 9.90 xG on target, while Antoine Semenyo has netted six from 4.80 xG on target.
The stat shows that Buendia has not only been an efficient goal-scoring threat for Villa, but has also been getting into brilliant positions consistently.
With Ollie Watkins struggling to score for Villa this season, individuals like the 28-year-old have been needed to make up the difference.
If he continues at this rate, Buendia could score close to 10 goals for his side in the Premier League this period.
Unai Emery trusted his gut and was rewarded
Buendia was linked with an exit from Villa over the summer transfer window and was close to bidding farewell to Villa Park once and for all.
Several fans wanted to see him leave. Despite his strong performances during pre-season, he’d had a difficult few years at the club.
However, Emery stuck with his gut and decided to make Buendia a key player in his squad this season, a choice that baffled spectators at the time.
Now a quarter into the season, it’s safe to say that choice has paid off:
- Buendia has recorded two assists in the Premier League
- He has created one big chance and has made 1.0 key passes per game
- He has recovered 2.8 balls per game
Furthermore, the versatile attacker’s long balls have been 62 per cent accurate while his chip passes have been 82 per cent accurate, according to Sofascore, also showing his creativity.
Complete would be the best way to describe Buendia’s season, and with his performances comes Emery’s vindication at Villa Park.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Aston Villa news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @villanews247