3 months ago
31 It’s set to be another high pressure, high octane season for Unai Emery and Aston Villa.
A first Champions League campaign for over four decades will pile the pressure on the first-team squad who will want to come charging out of the blocks from the first fixture against West Ham United.
Fellow Spaniard, Julen Lopetegui, will clearly want to win his first game in charge at the London Stadium, so two teams that are primed to attack should produce one of the better games of the opening weekend of 2024/25.
Clever move by Unai Emery which will benefit Villa
Ahead of that match a week on Saturday, there is still transfer business for Monchi to undertake, whether that be more incomings or, as in the case of James Wright, outgoings.
According to The Athletic (subscription required), the 19-year-old keeper is going to be loaned out to Spanish third tier outfit, Real Union, for the forthcoming campaign.
Aston Villa are set to benefit from a clever move by Unai Emery.It’s a canny move by Unai Emery for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, it will give the highly-rated youngster regular match time and experience, which will be of obvious benefit to Villa in the longer term.

Secondly, Real Union is owned by Unai Emery, so not only will the club, based in Irun in the Basque Country, get some excellent young talent at their disposal and potentially make Emery’s club better in the short to medium term, Emery will know that when the players return to Villa, they’ll be in much better shape to challenge for a first-team spot.
It’s certainly clever business by all concerned, and hints at a bright future for the Villains with a sustainable way of working.
