The Aston Villa transfer U-turn which could rescue their season after Unai Emery gave ‘blessing’ for Leeds United exit
Emi Buendia has been influential in Aston Villa’s recent upturn in results
After experiencing their worst start to a league campaign in the 21st century, Aston Villa are now beginning to turn a corner with three consecutive wins across all competitions, including back-to-back wins in the Europa League. They jumped out of the relegation places with a thumping 3-1 win over Fulham and are now beginning to rediscover their spark in front of goal after a four-game streak in the league without scoring.
Central to this turnaround has been Argentinian playmaker Emi Buendia, who is now arguably playing his best ever football in a Villa shirt more than four years after signing.
The former Championship Player of the Year, who once cost Villa a then club-record £36m to join the club from Norwich City, is currently enjoying a huge renaissance in his Lions career, and it’s one that very few would have saw coming earlier in the summer when he was seemingly viewed surplus to requirements.
Aston Villa had planned to sell Emi Buendia for just £16.8m
Emi Buendia has been a shining light for Aston Villa in the league and Europe in recent weeks, and is finally beginning to live up to his full potential after a challenging period on the periphery of Unai Emery’s team.
Buendia scored four and assisted six during his first season in the West Midlands back in 2021/22. He featured in every league match the following season, scoring five and assisting two while showing major improvements after Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard.
However, his progress was disrupted in the 2023/24 season when he sustained an ACL injury in pre-season which ruled him out of the full campaign. After the club qualified for the Champions League, Buendia featured just 12 times in the league, (all as a substitute), before being loaned out to Bayer Leverkusen for six months.
Amid Villa’s battle to fulfil PSR, it was widely reported by a number of reporters, including Sébastien Vidal, that Aston Villa were willing to sell Buendia to Leeds United. He posted on X at the end of last season:: “Emiliano Buendía could be on his way to Leeds United! The newly-promoted side are preparing a £16.8m bid for the Aston Villa playmaker. Unai Emery has given his blessing, and Buendía is ready for a fresh start. Daniel Farke hopes to reunite with him at Elland Road.”
That rumour remained at the forefront all summer, but ultimately after the club cashed in on academy graduate Jacob Ramsey, Aston Villa decided in a sudden U-turn to pull the plug on exit negotiations and reintegrate Buendia into the first team setup.
Emi Buendia emerges as unlikely hero in Aston Villa revival
Emi Buendia has scored twice and assisted once in his last two appearances to help Aston Villa to crucial wins over Fulham in the Premier League and Feyenoord in the Europa League. Despite only starting two league matches he is joint-top for the most chances created by a Villa player on six, alongside McGinn and Morgan Rogers [FotMob].
Buendia has added energy to a Villa team that lacked a bit of spark and is starting to look more and more like the player the club first signed from Norwich City. Amid all the uncertainty surrounding his future it’d be very easy for Buendia’s quality to dip but instead he’s proving exactly what he has to offer.
“He didn’t want to leave, he had the possibility to leave in the transfer window, but he wanted to stay here and take the commitment here. He is showing it every day and every match,” said Unai Emery. “We used it to get his best energy, commitment and qualities. He scored, he helped us and he is going to be important this year.”
Aston Villa take on Burnley in their next match and based on current form, Buendia is likely to be in a strong position to start.