{"id":12669,"date":"2025-08-11T20:33:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T20:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2025\/08\/11\/aston-villa-target-wants-to-stay-at-serie-a-club-why-is-it-a-big-setback-for-unai-emery\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T20:33:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T20:33:23","slug":"aston-villa-target-wants-to-stay-at-serie-a-club-why-is-it-a-big-setback-for-unai-emery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2025\/08\/11\/aston-villa-target-wants-to-stay-at-serie-a-club-why-is-it-a-big-setback-for-unai-emery\/","title":{"rendered":"Aston Villa Target Wants To Stay At Serie A Club: Why Is It A Big Setback For Unai Emery?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Aston Villa have caught everyone\u2019s attention with their performances in the Premier League over the past few seasons. The team\u2019s confidence and performance have improved since the arrival of Unai Emery. They have proved that the club are no longer just a mid-table team by making it to European competitions. However, last season showed that the offensive department still lacks consistency. On many occasions, the team felt the need for a player who could change the game from the wing and score goals under pressure.<\/p>\n<p>This ongoing summer transfer window was full of expectations for Villa. Many names emerged on the radar, some were negotiated, and some deals remained incomplete. Attempts to sign Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio did not come to fruition. Meanwhile, Evann Guessand arrived, but Emery felt that a versatile winger was still needed in the final third. For this reason, the club started looking for options in other leagues as well<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Aston Villa eye Alexis Saelemaekers<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_329041\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-329041\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-lazyloaded=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Alexis Saelemaekers reject aston villa\" width=\"696\" height=\"464\" srcset=\"https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-1392x928.jpg 1392w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-1068x712.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Torino-vs-Roma-Serie-A-1260x840.jpg 1260w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-329041\">TURIN, ITALY \u2013 MAY 25: Alexis Saelemaekers of AS Roma celebrates scoring his team\u2019s second goal during the Serie A match between Torino and AS Roma at Stadio Olimpico di Torino on May 25, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to a report by French journalist <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SebEcrivainFoot\/status\/1954503222296498321\">Sebastien Vidal<\/a>, Aston Villa had their eyes on AC Milan\u2019s Alexis Saelemaekers. The club were looking at the 26-year-old Belgian player as an option who can play on both wings and also contribute in midfield by changing positions when needed. Villa were ready to bid for him in this window, but the player expressed his desire to stay with AC Milan.<\/p>\n<p>This decision is a blow not only for Aston Villa but also for <a href=\"https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/category\/leagues\/english-premier-league\/nottingham-forest\/\">Nottingham Forest<\/a>, as they were also after this player, as per the report. Given Saelemaekers\u2019 versatility and experience, it is easy to understand why many clubs were attracted to him. However, the winger\u2019s association with his current club stopped all attempts.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Opinion: Big setback and way forward<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This setback is like a big problem for Aston Villa. Emery\u2019s plans required a winger who could bring a balance of pace, perfect crossing and goal-scoring ability. Saelemaekers\u2019 arrival would not only give Villa an attacking option but also flexibility in the team\u2019s tactical setup.<\/p>\n<p>A setback like this in the final days of the summer transfer window disrupts the club\u2019s plans. Now they need to find new options immediately, or the gap will be felt as the season progresses. Villa\u2019s current squad is good, but depth is essential to make a long run in the Premier League and the Europa League. Saelemaekers\u2019 decision proves that just planning is not enough; the players\u2019 intent is just as important.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aston Villa have caught everyone\u2019s attention with their performances in the Premier League over the past few seasons. The team\u2019s confidence and performance have improved since the arrival of Unai Emery. They have proved that the club are no longer just a mid-table team by making it to European competitions. However, last season showed that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13963,"featured_media":12670,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13963"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}