Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres transfer latest, Harry Maguire truth and Unai Emery’s priorities

The summer transfer window opens for Premier League clubs next week and Aston Villa are wasting no time to try and improve Unai Emery’s squad ahead of what promises to be a busy 2023/24 campaign.

Here, Aston Villa reporter John Townley hosts his Villa fans’ forum discussing all of the big talking points with all eyes on the window. The transcript is in full, below, while you can have your say on all things Villa and transfers in the comments section.

Hi John. Enjoyed your contributions for the podcast at Hockley Social Club last week. Bearing in mind Villa’s shocking start to the last two seasons (0-2 v Bournmouth, 2-3 v Watford after being 3-0 down), how do you think Emery will prepare the team for the opening day fixture? Do Villa have sufficient pre-season matches?

Glad to hear that mate – sorry for the late finish! Villa have five games listed on their pre-season tour at the moment. That’s usually the amount of games which the club has played for their pre-season in recent years. It could be a very long season ahead, so they won’t want to play too many games too soon.

Walsall (1pm kick-off) – Saturday, July 15 at Poundland Bescot Stadium

Newcastle United (7pm local time kick-off) – Sunday, July 23 at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

Fulham (7pm local time kick-off) – Wednesday, July 26 at Exploria Stadium, Orlando

Brentford (12pm local time kick-off) – Sunday, July 30 at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

Lazio (7:30pm kick-off) – Thursday, August 3 Poundland Bescot Stadium

The league fixtures will be released next Thursday. I don’t expect Villa’s XI to look far too different to the one which ended the season against Brighton, apart from a couple of additions to the starting side. Emery knows he can trust this group to fulfil his demands on the pitch. Having a full summer of pre-season will help the group learn his ways even more, and get new players in the building to add more quality and depth ahead of what looks a really exciting campaign.

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Afternoon John! Hope you’re all good mate? What’s the latest news emerging from B6 this week mate? Regarding Money to Spend? Transfers etc? Is there any truth in the links we’ve seen in the last few days? Guendouzi, Tielemens, Both Torres’s, Barnes Etc?

Afternoon, Regan. All good here, pal. Thank you! Looking forward to the window opening next week. Villa want to get Tielemans through the door at the earliest opportunity after Leicester announced he will leave as a free agent. His future will become clearer soon as a number of clubs chase his signature. Barnes is a target and will also several teams after him this summer – he’s electric. Emery admires Guendouzi and he’ll will remain in the market for another midfielder even if Tielemans joins. He’s one to watch, as is Giovani Lo Celso. Pau Torres will decide on his future this month, and Ferran Torres appears determined to stay at Barcelona and play in the Champions League next season.

Hi John, hope you’re keeping and settling into your new role mate. Such a great end to the season and so much to look forward to but, since last night, I’ve been overcome with a severe sense of dread!! These “concrete” links to Harry Maguire.. please, please, please tell me they aren’t true!! Aside from that, any inkling on how many Unai is likely to want in this summer? Keep up the good work John.

Nice one, Mickey! Top man. We’ll start with your restless night. Tottenham have expressed an interest in taking Maguire from Man Utd this summer – he has a strong relationship with Harry Kane, so that move would make sense. At this stage there’s no indication that Maguire is on Villa’s list of options to improve in defence. If Maguire is made available for transfer, there will be a number of Premier League clubs who would move to sign him, but it’s unclear if Villa would be one. Emery wants to strengthen all departments of his squad, but will not overhaul his team in one window. Let’s wait and see which positions he feels are most pressing. Midfield is one area he is keen to improve at least in terms of depth, with Tielemans targeted, while Asensio was approached too, but he’s off to PSG. A striker is also a priority after Emery held back from signing a centre-forward after Danny Ings left for West Ham in January. Villa only have one right-back in their squad and are lacking wingers too. I’d expect at least five new signings to be made this summer.

hi are we going for laporte and torres or just one of these 2, any news on Pedro Gonçalves as he looks like a great player, would like us to look at Thuram as hes now on a free from BMG. Any news on rb cover

Afternoon pal. I’ll start with Goncalves. Villa scouts spent some time in Portugal over the past season, watching Sporting and Porto games. Goncalves would’ve caught the eye, but as of now, I’ve heard nothing of any concrete interest in the player. Reports coming from Portugal would suggest Villa have expressed an interest and are keen to sign him this summer, but I’ve been unable to corroborate those reports so far. Agree on Thuram, he’s a top player and a forward who’ll be keen to test himself in the Champions League next season. PSG want to bring him back to France, along with his brother Khepren. No updates on Villa’s pursuit of a new right-back, but they’ll be evaluating their options ahead of the window opening next week. Matty Cash is currently the only recognised right-back in the first-team squad heading into a season where Villa could be playing in excess of 50 matches.

As we know Unai likes to play with a very defensive right back and attacking left back. Rumours have surfaced that a right footed centre back could be an option for right back. We have that option covered with Cash, Konsa and Chambers. The recent link to Pau Torres had me thinking, does Emery want the option to sometimes have a defensive left back and attack on the right?(Perfect for Cash). If so, signing Torres would also give us the option of playing a centre back at left back (Mings with Konsa/Carlos and Torres at centre back). With Moreno and Digne, I think the signing of Torres would give us so many options to mix and match at the back. Two players for each position, Cash, Chambers, Konsa, Carlos, Mings ,Torres Moreno and Digne… what fantastic strength in depth an options available. The youngsters can then all go on loan for experience (KKH, Chrisene, Revan). Any thoughts?

I think you raise a really interesting point in general about Emery’s ability to change things and keep the opposition guessing. We’ve seen that already with how Villa play a high line in some games, and then in others they don’t, or only for certain spells in the match. It means Villa are unpredictable and that’s key in this era of the Premier League where there are so many top managers, all with a trick or two up their sleeve. Emery is one of those. Having options is key to playing a brand of football which is fluid and unpredictable week after week, but there are some fundamentals that each and every player must follow. So far, the squad Emery inherited from Gerrard has managed to do everything he has asked of them, from building from the back, to controlling games and keeping clean sheets, without a more pragmatic approach to away games being at the deficit to the quality of their attacking play. Emery will sign players this summer who he knows he can mould and will be able to work across different tactical systems. Just look how much Alex Moreno changed this Villa team in the space of a few weeks.

Morning John, we all knew that we would be linked to so many people from Spain and the relegated teams. Apart from Tielemans and possibly Barnes can’t really see us doing any other business with the relegated teams, can you? Also reports around us linked to Bono, guessing this is all talk because everyone (apart from Villa fans) think Martinez is leaving Any updates on all the loanees who’s staying who’s leaving?

Hello Criag, hope you’re well mate. Thanks for your question. Tielemans and Barnes are two targets from a Leicester squad that was full of talent. One of the best teams to get relegated in my opinion. I have no inclination to suggest Emery might be targeted by any other players from Leicester, Leeds or Southampton, but there’s some talented players across all of those teams. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Kyle Walker-Peters, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Carlos Alcaraz, Romeo Lavia, Jack Harrison and Willy Gnonto are all Premier League players for me, as well as the obvious names like James Ward-Prowse and James Maddison. On Martinez, Villa are in a very strong position. The goalkeeper has a contract until 2027, and even if clubs were to come in for him, they’d have to pay a huge sum, while Martinez wants to play in Europe with Villa, win some silverware and break Mark Bosnich’s Villa clean sheet record. Villa are due to hold discussions and post-season reviews with players who have spent the last season out on loan. We’ll see what comes out of those meetings. Emery will take a good look at the likes of Cameron Archer, Aaron Ramsey and Tim Iroegbunam during pre-season

Morning John, what’s the latest with Youri Tielemans?

Good morning! As reported earlier in the week, Emery would like Tielemans to join his squad. Villa face competition for his signature with the likes of Roma and other clubs across Europe, who can also offer European football, set to continue discussions with his entourage. His future will become clearer in the coming days, but Villa won’t be panicking about it given the list of targets Emery has across a number of positions. We’re only at the start of the window, and Villa are in a very strong position to get the targets Emery wants.

Morning John good to have you on board congratulations on the job, any updates on tielemens, Torres, Laporte, concalves, any more news on Harvey Barnes and the striker situation, do you think we will be back in for Guendousi, di you think archer will be part of the first team UTV

Thanks mate! That means a lot. Tielemans’ future should become clearer soon. Villa want a quick resolution to a decision on his next month so they can get to other targets if he doesn’t fancy a move to Villa Park. I think Unai Emery is exactly who he needs in the next stage of his career. Harvey Barnes is a target and while I have no names for you, a striker is a priority this summer after Emery held off signing a centre-forward last January following the departure of Danny Ings to West Ham. Villa scouts spent some time in Portugal over the past season, watching Sporting and Porto games. Goncalves would’ve caught the eye, but as of now, I’ve heard nothing of any concrete interest in the player. Archer has a huge opportunity to make an impression during pre-season after showing that he can score goals again last season. He’s a homegrown player which is a big tick, and he knows where the back of the net is. Competition at the top of the pitch will be strong next season, but if Villa are to go deep in the cups and maintain their form in the Premier League form, then Archer could have a role to play. Villa will return for pre-season next month.

Morning John, hope you are well and good luck hosting these Q&As? What a fantastic day last Sunday – a moment of joy in the sunshine which will hopefully catapult us to even greater achievements! Are we close to signing Tielemans? Skybet have us 1-4 on to sign him? If this happens i truly believe it will be a fantastic bit of business – covers an area we are light with a quality player and at little transfer cost (ignoring wages / sign-ons and bonuses) leaving us money for elsewhere in the team! Do you see us putting in any bids for Barnes too which would be another good signing. Any truth in links for Laporte, Inigo Martinez or an offer for Pau Torres? also, any concrete rumours / insight around other striker / attacking reinforcements?

Morning Aaron, hope you’re well mate! What I understand about Pau Torres is that he is being considered by Villa this summer – the stumbling block is one; how much will Villarreal ask for given that he has a €50 million buy-out clause and only 12 months on his contract. And two; what does Torres want to do? Villarreal is his boyhood club and has stayed there out of his love for them, despite having offers to go elsewhere and earn more money and play at a higher level. Tottenham came knocking in the summer of 2021, but he turned them down as he wasn’t ready to leave. This summer, as he approaches the final months of his current deal, he is prepared to finally leave, but will make a final decision on his future in the coming days and weeks. Juventus are reportedly interested in him too, that doesn’t surprise me. It’s a case of waiting on Torres’ stance – if he decides he’d like a move, Villarreal will reluctantly listen to offers, but how high will their asking price be? That’ll be key. On Tielemans, the latest developments are that Villa want to get him through the door, but face competition from a number of clubs as reported earlier this week. He’s a top midfielder. Interest from across Europe, particularly in Italy, is high. Roma have been in discussions about signing him for some time, and you’d expect his future to become clearer in the coming days. We’re only at the start of the window, and free agents tend to get their moves sorted before the start of pre-season. Let’s see what happens. His former teammate Barnes is another player Villa could move for this summer. Emery wants to sign a winger and Barnes would add something to his squad which wasn’t there last season. Nico Williams is another option who was targeted last January. Villa want to recruit a top number nine after holding fire on signing a centre-forward after Danny Ings’ move to West Ham. Targets will become clearer as we window moves on, but Emery has some ambitious names on his list. Exciting weeks ahead.

Good Morning John, What do you make of the decision to let Ashley Young leave? I know he was approaching 38 but was one of our most consistent performers last season and could or would have been invaluable with the extra games we will play being in Europe.

Hi mate, thanks for getting involved! I was a little surprised. Young still has plenty to offer on and off the pitch despite turning 38 next month. I actually thought his performances were getting ever better. Of all Premier League players last season, he posted the fourth highest dribblers tackled success rate at 74 per cent. His experience is invaluable and he’s a well-liked member of the dressing room. Heading into Europe, he knows the routine of playing midweek and at the weekend like the back of his hand having done just that with Man Utd and Inter Milan. He also qualifies as a homegrown player, which is a big bonus too. With that being said, I trust what Emery wants to do to his squad and what changes he is going to make. Wonder where he’ll end up? I think he can still perform well in most Premier League teams.

Hi John, good to see you’re carrying on the Q&A tradition, and I hope you’re starting to feel settled into the job a little more too? You’ll be great, I have faith…. Anyway, potential signings are simmering away nicely on a back burner, well until the transfer window opens up at least. We all put our faith in UE to build a stronger squad to take us on to improve substantially come next season in the league, and fingers crossed, we can do the gaffer proud when our European compertion starts, and if all goes to plan, right up until the final, and then lets hope we beat any opposition to award Emery with yet another European acolade because he’s earned that already, for what he’s turned our great club from potential relegation fodder ( what SG left us in ) and not only did we make the ytop 10 under emery, we finished even better, and made 7th place, which it has to be said was simply amazing under our new gaffer for 3/4 of a season, just imagine what we could acheive next season with a whole season to come? I predict we will make 6th or 5th, but like I just read McGinn fancies the top 4 finish? Lets just say, it would be good, but I’ll not be greedy, I’ll stick to my prediction, and will look forward to being proved wrong. John, what would you like to see our squad achieve next season in the leage and in Europe? And the big question is, will we win a cup too? Yes big asks, but you can bet UE will want it all, and if all comes to it, who says he won’t get it either? Yes, with talk on Gonçalves, Tielemens, and Barnes ( not to mention Torres) if all comes together, what a start to new signings eh? Plus there could be even more to come….lets hope so, a bigger squad, with plenty of experience to help us through next season, can’t be bad ! UTV.

Afternoon, Stevie! Thanks for the message mate. UTV. It’s really exciting isn’t it. We’ll get a better idea whether or not Villa can compete across the cups – including the Europa Conference League – and in the Premier League come the end of the summer transfer window, but we’ve got the man for the job. Emery picked up a team who were, after Gerrard’s exit, sitting above the relegation zone on goals scored. The turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable. We’re not talking about just 12 games either, it’s two-thirds of the season. Only Man City have won more points than Villa since the turn of the year, and still those defeats at Wolves and Man United frustrate us! Villa have come a long, long way in a very short space of time. I think a top four challenge is a bit premature given that we have no idea how the Villa squad will deal with Thursday night football next season. Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle and Man United are all ahead of Villa at the moment, I feel. Brighton will lose some of their stars this summer and will have the Europa League to juggle – that could be an issue for them. Chelsea and Tottenham… nobody can predict how they’ll go. Villa just need to concentrate on themselves – if they take it all week by week, and don’t look too far ahead, then we’re in store for a special season. A trophy would be incredible and I back Emery to deliver that success.

How many players do Villa need to sign this summer? Tell us in the comments section…

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