Aston Villa will have a lot to consider in the summer as Unai Emery looks to build on the successes of this season, with one player having a lot to prove to the manager.
What a season it’s been for Aston Villa, who are well-poised to gain Champions League qualification as well as still being candidates to take home European silverware.
Unai Emery made an impeccable campaign into an unforgettable one yesterday, signing a contract extension at Villa Park to take his stay to 2027, contrary to the beliefs of a number of pundits who doubted his future.
While the squad have already exceeded expectations, there is still everything to play for with four Premier League games remaining and the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League fast approaching.
Away from the thrills that could still await Villa this campaign, Emery will be having a subtle look at his plans for next season, particularly as the Spaniard looks to shape his squad to become a side that can consistently challenge in Europe.
Many players have impressed enough during the boss’ tenure to ensure their futures remain on the club’s exciting journey however, one star is yet to show his worth to the manager.
Emi Buendia has not ‘fully convinced’ everyone at Aston Villa
It’s been a dream season for Villa, but one of nightmares for Emi Buendia, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury in training days prior to the start of the campaign.
After impressing in pre-season, it was a significant blow for both the player and Emery, who was forced to work around his absence, which was eased in the transfer window through the arrival of Nicolo Zaniolo on loan.
Fast-forward to now, and as cruel as it sounds, not many can say that Villa have missed the Argentine, with journalist Gregg Evans sharing his view on the 27-year-old when speaking on the 1874 podcast.
“With Emi Buendia, I’ve never been fully convinced.
“You just feel like Buendia has never really done it in a Villa shirt, so I don’t feel like they’ve particularly missed him too much.”
Emi Buendia faces a huge challenge to impress Unai Emery
The Athletic journalist is right, with Villa yet to see merely a glimpse of the quality that encouraged the club to sign Buendia from Norwich City back in 2021 for a fee of £33m.
Before arriving at Villa Park, the dynamic attacker had a phenomenal season with the Canaries in the Championship, scoring 15 goals and recording 17 assists in 39 league appearances.
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To put into perspective how much the 27-year-old has failed to perform at Villa, he’s registered only nine goals and nine assists in a total of 78 appearances, with a lot of work to be done to prove himself to Emery.
It’s a great shame that Buendia suffered such an extensive injury before this season, taking the opportunity to impress away from him, handing him a remarkably tall order to now reinstate himself back in the manager’s plans.
With Leon Bailey, Youri Tielemans, Moussa Diaby, Morgan Rogers, Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn all deployable around the attack, just where does Buendia now fit in?
That’s not to say it’s impossible, with Bailey himself needing to prove his quality to Emery earlier this term, a challenge he passed with flying colours.
The problem is, given Villa’s progression this season, Emery’s squad have in some elements, surpassed the need to have Buendia in and around the side, with Evans highlighting the brutal fact that the squad have not missed his services.
Perhaps if Zaniolo is to exit, the Argentine will have a shot at taking a place on the outskirts of the starting XI but, given the Villans’ need to bolster in quality ahead of a potential Champions League journey, surely Buendia would be a candidate to exit.
Only time will tell if the 27-year-old can navigate a way back into Emery’s plans, with him having an awful lot of work to do to impose himself in the current Villa squad.
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