Aston Villa have completely turned their season around after a poor start to the Premier League campaign – and one summer transfer decision looks to have been the correct one after a 2-1 win over Tottenham.
Unai Emery’s side didn’t score in their opening four-and-a-half games in the league, but they’ve been rampant in front of goal recently to turn their form around.
Consecutive home wins over Fulham and Burnley were enough to get the ball rolling, but by far their biggest win of the Premier League season came on Sunday as they beat Tottenham 2-1 away from home.
[
Click to subscribe to the podcast ](https://www.youtube.com/@BeyondTheBackFour?sub_confirmation=1)
Aston Villa have now put themselves in the top half after three wins in a row, and a huge reason for that has been one summer transfer decision – with the sale of Jacob Ramsey allowing Emiliano Buendia to shine.
Emi Buendía of Aston Villa celebrates after he scored for 3-1 during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Fulham
Photo by Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images
Jacob Ramsey sale has allowed Emi Buendia to shine at Aston Villa
Villa academy graduate Ramsey came through the ranks with a first-team debut in the 2018-19 Championship campaign, though he properly wrote his name into the first-team squad in the 2021-22 campaign.
A run of over 100 Premier League appearances over the past two seasons have seen the Birmingham-born star shine, but the summer window forced him out. PSR issues saw Ramsey complete a £43million move to Newcastle United, which was met with disdain by supporters at the time.
He’s rarely featured for Newcastle thanks to an injury, but Villa won’t mind after Buendia’s arrival on the scene.
The Argentine was a cameo player for Unai Emery last season, making 12 Premier League appearances with no starts where Buendia eventually ended up on loan to Bayer Leverkusen. However, this season has seen him become a vital player at Villa Park once again.
A goal and assist in a vital turnaround vs Fulham saw Villa record their first win of the season, and with the opener in a 2-0 win over Feyenoord, that boosted his credentials.
Cap that off with a winner against Tottenham, and it means the Ramsey sale has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Jacob Ramsey during pre-season for Aston Villa.
Photo by Ben Roberts – Danehouse/Getty Images
Aston Villa wouldn’t be where they are now if Jacob Ramsey had started over Emi Buendia
Jacob Ramsey did flatter to deceive for Aston Villa at times last season.
The 24-year-old started in four Champions League games, 19 Premier League clashes and two FA Cup games, registering 46 appearances across the season.
However, he only registered 11 goal contributions in that time, just under one in four. Buendia, by contrast, already has four in ten in all competitions.
Emi Buendia’s winner vs Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday
While fans won’t have wanted to see their youth academy star and boyhood fan depart the club, it’s allowed Buendia to come through, and there is an argument to be had that Villa wouldn’t be where they are in the table right now without the former Norwich City man, had Ramsey played those minutes instead.
Unai Emery may have got the decision wrong to sporadically include the playmaker last season, with Aston Villa fans praising Buendia for a rare cameo in the Champions League, but he’s reaping the rewards of his talents at the moment.