Unai Emery has built a superb squad of players since taking charge of Aston Villa in October 2022. He has spent a few hundred million on new players, with Amadou Onana his most expensive player, costing £50m from Everton over the summer.
Impressively, he has managed to get the Villans competing at the top of the Premier League. Last term they managed a fourth-place finish which resulted in Champions League qualification, and they currently sit sixth in the top flight, with 18 points to their name.
It has certainly been a stunning tenure so far, with Emery’s stellar transfer business paving the way for such good form. Before he moved to Villa Park, however, their recruitment was not quite as strong.
Villa’s transfer window in 2022/23
The summer before Emery took charge, there was not much cohesion for the Villans on the incoming front. Only two of the signings made then are key players still under their Spanish boss. Steven Gerrard’s side added Diego Carlos from Sevilla and Boubacar Kamara on a free transfer to bolster their ranks in defence and midfield.
However, some of their other signings were certainly odd deals. That included an old teammate of their former manager Gerrard, Phillipe Coutinho, who signed from Barcelona. He joined permanently after a successful loan spell, but never really found his feet and was loaned out in the summer to Brazilian side Vasco da Gama.
Some of the Villans’ other incomings that summer included Robin Olsen, who is still at Villa Park as a backup goalkeeper, and Jan Bednarek who joined on loan from Southampton. However, arguably even more frustrating was their outgoings.
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Left-back Matt Targett was one of the players who left the club in 2022. He made the permanent move to Newcastle United, although he has somewhat fallen out of favour in the North East. Danny Ings was another sale made during Gerrard’s final window.
However, there was one departure above all that Villa fans may look back on and wish it had never happened, with the particular player a talented prospect. That man is Carney Chukwuemeka.
Chukwuemeka's fall since leaving Aston Villa
Back in 2020, the Villa academy graduate was rated by his boyhood club as the “best 16-year-old in England” by then-CEO, Christian Purslow. He was wanted by England’s biggest clubs, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City amongst the suitors.
As it happened, he stayed at Villa Park, making his first-team debut in 2021 against Tottenham Hotspur. He followed that up with a 17-minute cameo against Chelsea, before becoming a more prominent player for the Villans in 2021/22 under Gerrard.
That season, which could certainly be called his first in professional football, saw him play 14 times across the Premier League and Carabao Cup. He registered an assist against Norwich City, a brilliant demonstration of his talent as he beat two defenders and found Ollie Watkins at the back post who had a simple tap-in.
Sadly, the Villans were not able to keep hold of the midfielder beyond the summer of 2022. One of Gerrard’s final acts in a transfer window as Villa boss was to sell the midfielder. He joined Chelsea for £20m in August.
Sadly, it has not quite worked out how either party would have imagined. The talented midfielder has not had many minutes at Stamford Bridge, due to injuries and a lack of opportunities. In total, he has played just 29 times for the club, scoring twice and grabbing one assist.
Season
Competition
Games
Minutes
2022/23
FA Cup
1
17
2022/23
Premier League
14
345
2023/24
Carabao Cup
1
18
2023/24
Premier League
9
223
2023/24
FA Cup
2
13
2024/25
Conference League
1
13
2024/25
Carabao Cup
1
14
Chukwuemeka’s future seems very much up in the air. Blues boss Enzo Maresca explained after the transfer window that for the youngster it would be “better to leave”, moving to a club where he can get regular minutes due to the number of players at Stamford Bridge.
His talent is undeniable, with AC Milan and Barcelona two of the clubs thought to be interested in him over the summer.
However, selling him in 2022 is surely a deal Villa fans must wish never happened, especially with how well they have performed under Emery over the past 18 months.
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