Unai Emery was asked about Jacob Ramsey's expected departure in the first press conference of the season
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery and Jacob Ramsey
Villa boss Unai Emery and Jacob Ramsey
Unai Emery admits he enjoyed working with Jacob Ramsey at Aston Villa, but says his focus is solely on the squad at his disposal.
Ramsey, a product of Villa's youth academy, is set to complete a transfer to Newcastle in a deal worth up to £44 million, with £39 million guaranteed.
The 24-year-old made 45 appearances in all competitions last season, including 29 in the Premier League.
However, in 2023/24 he started only eight games, enduring a difficult spell with injuries that began in the summer of 2023 while on international duty with England under-21s.
Emery had deemed Ramsey not for sale last summer, but this time the club were open to offers and accepted Newcastle's bid.
"We are playing three matches with the transfer window working," Emery said when asked about Ramsey's departure. "And of course things can change, not just for us, but for other teams.
"Jacob Ramsey is not with us today, and if he is leaving we are going to continue our work.
"I was very happy working with him, but now I am focusing on the players we have available for tomorrow, and keep going."
Ramsey will not feature against Villa on Saturday, although Emery is still expecting a tough start to the new campaign against Eddie Howe's Newcastle.
“We are excited and hopefully tomorrow we will show it in Villa Park. I like to start playing with our supporters, and with the atmosphere we were creating when we were winning at Villa Park was fantastic. I think tomorrow will be the same. Newcastle – what a game to enjoy, to prepare, to play, and to try to do our best.”
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“It will be very difficult. They have a very good structure tactically and are strong with individual players. Collectively, they are such a strong team offensively and defensively.
“Our experiences playing against them in three years, winning and losing, hopefully tomorrow at home we can add our supporters pushing us.
“We have to be intelligent, we have to try to adapt to them tactically and try to win duels. Last year, we finished with 66 points and they finished with 66 points in 38 matches.
“We’re starting again now. They’re in the Champions League and we are in the Europa League because the goal difference was so tight. Conceding and scoring is the difference, and they did it.
“Hopefully we can start again, competing against them, showing our power and capacity with our performance in our tactical idea and individual skills.”