Credit: Imago

James Barker

Mon 23 March 2026 15:10, UK

Marco Asensio left Aston Villa last summer without a permanent deal at Villa Park, but Unai Emery would have a place in his team for him over Emi Buendia at the moment.

The 30-year-old attacking midfielder enjoyed a highly impressive short-term loan spell with Aston Villa last season, joining Emery’s side for the second half of the 2024-25 campaign.

With Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain on his CV, the Spain international arrived in the West Midlands with a big reputation, and he certainly lived up to it during his few months in B6.

Eight goals and one assist in 21 total appearances in all competitions saw Asensio make a big and instant impact for Villa, and left many supporters desperate to see a permanent deal struck.

However, no such move materialised, with Emery instead putting his faith in Buendia, but the Argentine international has been in inconsistent form in Villa’s recent matches.

How has Marco Asensio been doing for Fenerbahce?

Aston Villa took heavy flak for not signing Asensio permanently in this season’s summer window, as it was evident that the midfielder is a top player.

Therefore, it was of no great surprise to Villa supporters to see him soon find a new team, as Turkish giants Fenerbahce moved to secure his signature on 1 September 2025.

And so, it will equally then come as no shock to learn that the Spaniard is shining in Turkey this season, so much so that talk is already growing of a potential big-money move for him this summer.

Indeed, in just 23 Turkish Super Lig games this season, Asensio has contributed a remarkable return of 11 goals and 12 assists, with a further two goals and one assist in various cup competitions too respectively.

So, as detailed in the above graphic from Sofascore, Asensio is blowing Buendia out of the water when it comes to his production and performances this season, albeit in a slightly lesser league, respectfully.

Asensio is averaging 0.5 goals per game in the Turkish league this term, has created 12 big chances, plays 2.2 key passes per game, has won 75 per cent of his aerial duels and has a passing accuracy of 87 per cent.

Buendia, on the other hand, is averaging just 0.2 goals per game in the Premier League, has created two big chances, is recording a pass accuracy of 81 per cent and is playing 0.8 key passes per game respectively.

Should Villa be exploring Asensio return this summer?

Naturally then, there will be a considerable amount of Aston Villa supporters keen to see Villa Park chiefs making a move to bring him back to B6 this summer, and right the wrongs of not securing his signature last time round.

However, caution may need to be applied here for a number of reasons.

Firstly, Asensio is now 30-years old, and so depending on the asking price Fenerbahce may demand for him, Villa may risk splashing out too much money in the hope of short-term success with him again.

That brings into focus the other big consideration Villa must acknowledge, and that is their financial situation regarding PSR and UEFA financial restrictions.

We know that the Club have been under tight spending constraints for a little while now, and that may force the Villans’ transfer strategy to start moving away from signing older, proven players, and instead target cheap young talent that they could sell for big profits.

That was seemingly evidenced in the recent winter window with the deals for Brian Madjo and Alysson respectively, and so in that regard, Asensio may not fit the transfer model Villa Park chiefs are constructing moving forward.