Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is looking to inspire his side to bounce back from a poor start.placeholder image
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is looking to inspire his side to bounce back from a poor start. | Getty Images
Aston Villa have one eye on the future after a difficult Premier League start
In a world of PSR constraints and financial scrutiny, to identify a potential star early on and secure their signature ahead of your rivals is a sure-fire way to ensure future financial security.
Take Chelsea, for example. The Blues were heavily criticised for their hoovering up of young players early in Todd Boehly’s time as chairman. But this summer we began to see the fruits of their labour as several young players, many of whom had hardly featured for the first team, were sold for a total income of nearly £300 million.
Aston Villa ‘keeping tabs’ on in-demand wonderkid
According to reports by Caught Offside, Aston Villa are one of several clubs across Europe keeping an eye on CSKA Moscow wonderkid Kirill Glebov. The 19-year-old has registered three goals and an assist in his last six league appearances and appears to have stepped up in the new season, having already made 54 appearances for CSKA, dating back to March 2023.
The report states that Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion are ‘keeping tabs’ on the teenager, while Arsenal view him as an ‘ideal’ long-term investment. On the continent, clubs such as RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt, Atalanta, Bologna and Inter Milan are all said to be interested.
The biggest threat to Villa in securing a deal for Glebov, though, could be Manchester United. The player is said to have a deep admiration for the Red Devils and playing for them is a ‘long-term dream’. While this may present a roadblock for rival suitors, it could prove crucial which clubs approach the player first as he considers his short-term future.
PSR has ‘killed’ Aston Villa - Ezri Konsa
Villa’s need for saleable assets comes in a context where one of the club’s star performers of recent years, Ezri Konsa, claimed that PSR ‘killed’ the Villans’ transfer window and has left the club in a difficult position.
Konsa recently said while away on England duty: "It is crazy. I don't understand it myself, but from the outside looking in it doesn't look too good. I know that. I know it's really killed us this transfer window.
"We're going to have to deal with what we've got now. I definitely didn't watch that [transfer deadline day]. It's been tough, especially for us. I knew that signing players was going to be difficult for us so I did not look at transfer deadline day. Around eight o'clock I went on Villa's social media to see what happened. I saw that we signed three players, who are really good and have Premier League experience. I think that's what we needed as well.
"We've a great squad, I believe in our squad. I believe in our manager," he added. “Hopefully the boys who have come in can really help us and push us on."
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