In case we needed one, not that many of us ultimately did, Youri Tielemans put on a dazzling display for Belgium this week to remind us that Aston Villa shouldn’t even entertain any interest shown in him this summer.
As we know, the club face a financial predicament this month as we look to player sales to help solve our PSR and SCR issues ahead of the June 30 deadline, and as things stand, there’s a lack of clarity over who could genuinely depart this month to help us balance our books and fund our own spending this summer.
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Naturally, our most prized assets will be the ones in most demand and would command the biggest transfer fees, and so although in an ideal world we’d trim the squad of players deemed surplus to requirements, it’s unlikely to be that simple for Unai Emery, Monchi and the rest of the management team.
Opinions will differ on which individuals should be considered untouchable, albeit the same names will perhaps come up for most of us, but one of them surely is Tielemans, as he continues to impress for Belgium after a stellar campaign with Villa this past year.
The 28-year-old stepped up in a big way last season, contributing five goals and 10 assists in 53 appearances, but his influence went well beyond the numbers as he was an integral orchestrator in the heart of the Villa XI, showing energy and tenacity from a defensive perspective while controlling and dictating tempo and possession to be a key cog in how we wanted to play offensively too.
Combine those factors with his reliability and steely presence in midfield, the Belgian international was deservedly crowned the Supporters’ Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season.
Speaking ahead of Belgium’s win over Wales though, Tielemans did raise some concern with his comments as although he reiterated that he was happy at Villa, he conceded that nothing is ruled out when it comes to a transfer, perhaps hinting at the club’s PSR headache as opposed to his own desire to move on.
After the season he’s had, it would be no surprise if the Villa midfielder has a long list of suitors wanting to prise him away. However, the club must rebuff, reject, dismiss and ignore that potential interest, as Tielemans is so critical to Emery that it would be a major challenge trying to replace him.
Aside from scoring a superb goal for Belgium on Monday night, as seen in the video below, he also registered an assist, completed 35 of his 37 passes, had a 100 percent successful dribble rate, 100 percent accuracy on his crosses, won three duels and had two recoveries.
It was a performance that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing at Villa, and it’s hoped that we continue to see Tielemans in a Villa shirt for many more years to come rather than seeing him become our latest high-profile PSR sacrifice in the transfer market. It was a top-class display from a classy player, and making it through the summer without having to consider selling him would be a huge win for Villa.
🇧🇪 Youri Tielemans finishing off the move in style 🤤#EQGOTT | @alipayplus pic.twitter.com/gL85wwIaDv
— UEFA EURO (@UEFAEURO) June 9, 2025
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