**Unai Emery** talked about trying to gauge where **Aston Villa** are at ahead of their clash with **Arsenal**.
The Basque boss has been in the dugout since November 2022, never failing to lead the club into continental competition. But after a brutal beatdown against **Brighton**, going down to ten men and being behind by four goals within 40 minutes, could it be one time too many to achieve that feat?
It is still early days in the season, and the acquisition of **Leon Goretzka**, who has spent eight seasons on the books at **Bayern Munich**, may be an experienced head that is needed in this type of moment.
·**‘He’s a winner’**
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Goretzka has experienced **Villa Park** at its best when he came with **Bayern Munich** to the game that would mark the _Villans_’ return to elite European football for the first time since the 1980s. On that evening, a wondergoal from **Jhon Duran** decided the game in the favour of the hosts, and the German midfielder has made clear that he wants many more nights like that in his career with his new club.
Emery hopes that the latest addition to the group gives them the stability needed in the short-term.
_“Experience, and high-level experience. He’s a winner, he’s a very competitive player._
_“He’s still being young, 31 years old, and for us, he’s a good player to add in our squad, in our structure, as a player with experience, as a player with qualities, a versatile player, can play in different positions – as a midfielder mainly._
_“He arrived fit and he’s training well, and hopefully on Monday he can be on the field.”_
·**‘When I arrived here, I knew where I was arriving'**
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From Villa’s perspective, the arrival of the 31-year-old is another addition in a midfield department that has undergone substantive change. **Boubacar Kamara** has come back from a lengthy layoff since January, but **Amadou Onana** sustained an ACL injury that means he will be absent for the long-term.
**Youri Tielemans** has also moved to **Manchester United**, while **Joao Gomes**, who made his **Premier League** debut for the club after leaving **Wolves**, was sent off against **Brighton** in a dismal defeat.
It is not Emery’s first experience of a rocky time at Villa, and he admits the group might need time.
_“I want to keep some players who were helping us to be successful, and how they were understanding everything we needed as mentally, and as players as well with their skills. But I accept because I have experiences before in the same situation, and when I arrived here, I knew where I was arriving._
_“Everything we are doing is really fantastic. I expect the same. To continue doing special in different ways, with different players, but always thinking it’s something special, and something positive._
[Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2291687093)
_“Even maybe, we are not performing like we were performing, but the objective is to get progressively in the same way we did, and in the same performance we had. We will need time._
_“Last year, we showed we will need time. On Monday, we will see it, if we will need more time, or some players they are progressing quick.”_