Unai Emery answers permanent Marco Asensio to Aston Villa transfer question after Champions League masterclass
Unai Emery answers permanent Marco Asensio to Aston Villa transfer question after Champions League masterclass
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery responds to a question about signing Marco Asensio on a permanent transfer.
Unai Emery has refused to rule out the possibility of signing Marco Asensio permanently following the Spaniard’s seventh goal in eight matches for Aston Villa.
The Villans have already got their money’s worth out of Asensio’s loan deal as the Spanish attacking midfielder has netted three braces in five Villa Park appearances, also scoring one away from home since his arrival.
Club Brugge simply couldn’t deal with Asensio as he scored three off the bench across the two legs of the UEFA Champions League round of 16. Villa can thank an immense team effort for their progression to the quarter-finals but Asensio was without doubt the standout performer in Wednesday night’s 3-0 win, in turn sealing a dominant 6-1 aggregate victory.
They say never fall in love with a loan player but it’s rather impossible for Villa fans to not in the case of Asensio. Three times a Champions League winner with Real Madrid, the 38-time Spain international has averaged a goal every 54.7 minutes since joining Villa.
Rather sensationally, Asensio’s seven goals in eight Villa outings already matches his tally of seven goals in 47 appearances in nearly two years for PSG.
Emery answers Asensio transfer question
As it’s the question every Villa fan wants to know the answer to, BirminghamWorld asked Emery after the Brugge win whether Asensio could sign permanently this summer.
“It depends,” Emery replied. “We are happy with him. We are protecting him because he is not feeling 100 per cent in the last matches he played. Today he was feeling good. He wanted to start the match, but I decided to protect him.
“How he played for 45 minutes was fantastic. He took the responsibility to do his task like we planned, scoring goals. How he is connecting with other players, getting good positions is really important for us. His skills, it is in my idea structurally and tactically, how I want to build the team. One player like him is very important,” he said.
Fellow marquee deadline day addition Marcus Rashford is yet to score his first goal for the club but he’s assisted four of Asensio’s strikes. Villa could sign the 60-time England international permanently, too, as there’s an option to buy Rashford for £40 million at the end of his six-month loan from Manchester United.
Asensio offers verdict
Not just delighted with his early days at Villa on the field but also off it, Asensio is revelling in his decision to join up with Emery’s team. “Every match the atmosphere is top. We want more. Now we have a little break and to think about the upcoming objectives,” Wednesday’s match-winner told TNT Sports.
“I like to score there (the Holte End). We’re adapting to the new players but we’re in the right way. I am very comfortable and very happy with the team-mates, the fans and the city. In one or two weeks we have time to think about this [PSG] game.”
Whether or not Asensio joins for the long term depends on a host of factors. PSG’s reported asking price of £12.6 million is certainly reasonable but the player would probably need to take a pay cut if Villa are to commit to a lengthy contract.
Either way, it’s been a joy seeing Asensio thrive in claret and blue so far and there are still plenty more matches to play before the season comes to a close.
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