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Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is plotting a reunion with a highly-rated attacking talent
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery and president of football operations have both reportedly agreed to make Villarreal playmaker Álex Baena one of their priority targets in the upcoming transfer window.
Villa are through to the quarter-final of both the FA Cup and Champions League after a strong showing in cup competitions this term but currently find themselves ninth in the Premier League and behind the likes of Fulham, Brighton, Newcastle, Manchester City and Chelsea in the race for European qualification next term.
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As such Emery is thought to be after more squad depth and creativity to take some of the strain away from leading goalscorer Ollie Watkins, who has once again been impressive with 14 goals and 11 assists across all competitions.
Aston Villa plot move for Alex Baena
Journalist Rubén Uría has told Estadio Deportivo that Aston Villa are one of a number of top European clubs circling around Alex Baena. The likes of Atlético Madrid have long been after him but are thought to be wary of the threat posed by Aston Villa boss Unai Emery, who has managed Baena during his time with the Yellow Submarines.
Baena came through the academy at the Estadio de la Cerámica and made his first appearance a year before Emery’s arrival in 2020 but it was only after the Spaniard's arrival the following season that he became a regular fixture in match day squads as his team defeated Manchester United in the Europa League final. The midfielder was a stalwart in the team for the final months of Emery’s time in Spain before the manager’s move to Villa Park - and holds the manager in high regard for the lessons he taught him.
Villarreal academy graduate Baena, claimed Emery's exit "affected" those at the club. "It was a bit strange. Nobody expected it," he told Sports Witness. “It was from one afternoon to the next. Last year I lived it far away and it seemed that the same situation was going to happen, that he was going to leave, but in the end he didn’t.
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"But it was a professional decision, which everyone may not understand, but those of us who are part of this can understand it. It affected us a bit emotionally because we had already done a lot of work, after many years together.It was a bit hard to take it all back with a new coach with a new system and a new mentality for the game. But we are a team that looks like a family and everything is going to be fine. We are together with the coach and we will continue to move forward."
How is Alex Baena faring this season?
Alex Baena has registered six goals and seven assists in 26 appearances this term while primarily playing as a left-winger, marking his joint highest goal tally for a La Liga season. He is a part of a team that sits fifth in the La Liga table and has formed and excellent partnership with ex-Newcastle forward Ayoze Perez, who has scored 11 goals as a result of Baena’s excellent service.
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The 23-year-old, who played for Spain at Euro 2024, has an overall record of 25 goals and 37 assists across 141 career appearances for Villarreal as a winger and as a central attacking midfield player. He is known for his excellent dribbling, agility and passing range, and notably made 18 assists throughout the entirety of last season and was crucially La Liga’s record assist maker last term. He is understood to have a release clause of €60m which works out at around £50m for the Villa Park club.
Read More: Aston Villa's mighty Champions League prize money haul so far - and how much more they can still win