Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery cannot praise the job he has done at the club enough after lifting the Europa League trophy last month.
It was the club’s first major trophy in 30 years and their first European trophy since 1982, making him Villa’s most successful manager for their thousands of supporters under the age of 30.
One of his best attributes as a manager is the development of players, as evidenced by the progress of Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rodgers under him at Villa Park.
Buendia had 11 goals and nine assists in all competitions for the Villains in 2025-26, but he never reached double figures for goals or assists in his first three years at the club.
Rodgers, meanwhile, joined Villa after scoring two goals in 26 Championship games for Middlesbrough, and has scored 28 goals and provided 24 assists in the past two seasons under Emery.
Aston Villa aim to sign relegated forward
The two attacking midfielders, who scored together in last month’s Europa League final against Freiburg, are proof of the Spaniard’s excellent player coaching.
The Villains are now reportedly looking for a player who could follow in the footsteps of Buendia and Rodgers and star under the former Arsenal and Villarreal manager.
Aston Villa are one of a number of clubs looking to sign West Ham United forward Crisencio Somerville in the summer transfer window, according to TEAMtalk.
The paper claims the Hammers could accept a £35m bid following their Premier League relegation after paying £25m to sign him from Leeds in 2024.
Italian giants AC Milan and Napoli have added that they are willing to pay an asking price of £35m, but it remains to be seen whether Villa are willing to offer that much for the Dutch international.
TEAMtalk has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur and Villa are the two domestic teams interested in signing the left-sided attacker, but the two Italian teams are currently ahead in the race.
Why Crisencio Somerville could be Aston Villa’s new Morgan Rodgers
As mentioned earlier, Emery helped Buendia and Rodgers reach their potential, leading them from inconsistent performances at the top end of the pitch to regularly racking up goals and assists, hitting the big time at Villa.
Somerville is a player who could benefit greatly from working under the Spanish tactician, as he has discovered potential in the Premier League and Emery could help develop that potential.
The Dutch international has made a respectable return this season, scoring five goals and providing two assists for the Hammers in the Premier League, but his good form so far in the Championship with Leeds suggests he has much more to come.
23/24 Championship | somerville |
|---|---|
Appearance | 43 |
xG | 16.41 |
the goal | 19 |
A big opportunity has arisen | 17 |
Key paths per game | 2.6 |
Shah | 12.53 |
assist | 9 |
Somerville showed that, although at a lower level, he could score goals and be creative at an alarming rate when playing in an attacking-minded team that suited his style of play during his time in the second division under manager Daniel Farke.
The Dutch star, described by Statman Dave as “unstoppable”, almost reached double figures for both goals and assists, similar to what Rodgers had achieved in the past two seasons at Villa.
In fact, his xA and number of “big chances” created suggest that assists are costing him double digits due to his teammates’ poor finishing, rather than his lack of creativity.
However, like Rodgers and Buendia before they worked with Emery, Somerville has yet to prove himself consistently in the Premier League, with just five goals and two assists in one season in the top flight.
The next step for the 24-year-old forward is to start replicating his Championship form in the Premier League, scoring goals and creating quality chances every week as an “unpredictable” and exciting forward.
That’s why joining Aston Villa could be the best next step for his career, as he will be working under a manager who has proven he can get the best out of players in his position.
But for the Hammers to accept a bid, beat Napoli and Milan to sign Emery as the next Rodgers, the Villans must first splash out £35m in cash.
Better than Lowe: Aston Villa could accept £26m bid for England star
Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing a star player who is better than Jonathan Rowe.
