Unai Emery &#8211; CaughtOffside

Mikel Arteta confirms Arsenal star with four appearances will start vs Brentford

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Mikel Arteta says he wants defender “respected by everybody” to stay at Arsenal amid Bayern links

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Villa ace appears to have upset Unai Emery with his behaviour

Jason Pettigrove — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 12:40:23 +0000

If there’s one thing that Aston Villa fans will know by now about Unai Emery, it is the seriousness with which he takes his work.

Though he was ridiculed during his time at Arsenal for the way in which he addressed interviewers, it distracted from the good work he was doing with the Gunners.

Ultimately, that was a coaching job that didn’t work out for him, though his stay at Villa Park seems to be the perfect fit.

Joint top of their Europa Conference League group going into the final two matches and fifth in the Premier League at the time of writing is proof enough that Emery is doing something right.

However, his way of working clearly doesn’t chime with everyone, and according to Football Insider, one player in particular is proving to be a bit of a challenge.

The outlet note that Jhon Duran has clashed with the Spaniard on a number of occasions to date, and because of the nature of his behaviour, it may well lead to him being sold in the January window.

Given that he’s only managed to play for the Villains for 114 minutes to date this season, per WhoScored, he’s hardly likely to be missed by the Villa Park faithful.

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“Don’t have much hope” – Journalist says Emery favourite may struggle to play for him

Darren Looney — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 17:37:25 +0000

Aston Villa defender Alex Moreno could struggle to get back into Unai Emery’s side due to the form of Lucas Digne this season claims journalist Dean Jones.

The left-back was Emery’s first signing as Villa manager, arriving from Real Betis last January, and the Spaniard quickly became a favourite of the 52-year-old coach.

However, Moreno suffered a hamstring injury in Aston Villa’s penultimate game of the 2022/23 season, in a 1-1 draw at Liverpool on 20th May and that has paved the way for Digne to take over.

The Frenchman has been very good for the Birmingham club this campaign and that comes after there was talk of the former Everton star leaving during the summer transfer window.

Digne has now turned his fortunes around at Villa Park and journalist Dean Jones believes Moreno will struggle to overtake the left-back for the position when he returns.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “I don’t have much hope for Moreno getting in this team anytime soon. Digne has been an underrated asset in that Aston Villa team. That’s because they’ve got all the attacking stars who have been hogging the headlines.

“But if you look at Digne’s form this season, he’s been consistent and impressive. He’s done exactly what Emery wanted from him. That’s a blow to Moreno, but he’s just got to wait for his opportunity and hope that, at some point, a suspension or injury means that he does get an opportunity in this team again and that he can make the most of that chance when it comes.”

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Exclusive: Arsenal ‘really, really want’ target says Fabrizio Romano

Jason Pettigrove — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 07:37:20 +0000

Though they’ve begun the first part of the 2023/24 season well, Mikel Arteta is clearly intent on ensuring Arsenal continue to bring in the best talent to push the team forward.

The Spaniard almost brought the Premier League title back to the Emirates Stadium last season, and with the end of the current campaign being the 20th anniversary of the Invincibles season – the last time the Gunners won the English top-flight title – the narrative is already there for the football romantics.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, Arteta will be hopeful of making a splash in the transfer market again, with one player above all others on his radar.

However, as Fabrizio Romano noted, speaking to CaughtOffside for his exclusive Daily Briefing column, it’s not an easy deal to do:

“I mentioned the name of Douglas Luiz last week as the top target for Arsenal, and I can confirm guys that Arsenal really, really want and appreciate Douglas Luiz.

“He’s a player they’ve had on their list for more than two years, and Arsenal consider him the perfect midfielder for their way of playing, for his intensity and for the quality he can bring.

“So many different factors make him top of the list for Arsenal now.

“The problem remains that Aston Villa have no intention to let him go in January, so it’s going to be really difficult.”

The player’s will is likely to ultimately decide which way this particular pursuit will go.

Aston Villa certainly don’t need to sell Douglas Luiz, and given their own start to the campaign, Unai Emery could legitimately claim, at this stage, that the Villains can meet the player’s own aspirations.

Were Douglas Luiz to tell Villa that he wants the move, it changes the dynamic entirely. Whether Arsenal would then want to meet Villa’s valuation of their player during the season is a moot point.

If it doesn’t happen in January, there appears to be a feeling of inevitability that something could occur in the future.

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Unai Emery travels to Spain to finalise major Aston Villa agreement

Andrew Walker — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 15:02:35 +0000

Unai Emery has reportedly travelled to Spain to finalise an agreement between Aston Villa and Real Union.

The deal will see the two clubs work in close partnership with one another in what is being described as a ‘sporting collaboration’.

Emery and his family remain Union’s main shareholder controllers and have been working to finalise the agreement with Aston Villa for weeks.

The impending deal, which is thought to be for an initial four years, will see Union end their current partnership with Real Sociedad.

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Union are thought to consider the collaboration with Aston Villa as one that will help them. both financially and on the pitch as they look to forge an ‘assault of professional football’.

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Arsenal links with Neves & Brandt, plus Ramsdale update, Man Utd scout wonderkid – exclusive

Fabrizio Romano — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 19:30:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive articles via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io

Thoughts on those Aaron Ramsdale comments and updates on other Arsenal targets

Comments made by Aaron Ramsdale’s father on the Highbury Squad podcast have attracted a lot of attention. Nick Ramsdale made it clear his son has lost his smile since being replaced with David Raya by Mikel Arteta, but I think this is a normal response from the player’s father – it’s not his agent, it’s not something that points towards any negotiations or efforts to leave Arsenal.

He obviously wants to see Aaron happy but right now it’s a difficult moment. Still, my understanding remains the same as earlier this week – Ramsdale wants to fight for his place at Arsenal, at the moment there are no negotiations with any other club – also because the goalkeepers market is very quiet, with big goalkeeper moves often relying on a domino effect which is not as active in the middle of the season.

Elsewhere with Arsenal, we’re seeing some surprise links with a loan move for Ruben Neves at Al Hilal. He’s mainly been linked with Newcastle, who appreciate the player, but there is also historical interest from Mikel Arteta – he has always liked Neves, but there are no negotiations at the moment.

Some of you have also been asking me about other Arsenal transfer rumours we’ve seen – Julian Brandt has been linked again and I’m aware that they had some interest in him two years ago, but I’ve heard nothing since then. Ferdi Kadioglu is another name doing the rounds, but again I’m afraid I’m not aware of anything concrete happening there, even if he’s a very good talent who looks ready for important clubs.

Strange situation surrounding Nico Williams

We saw some interesting words from the agent of Nico Williams. The Athletic Bilbao star is one of the most talented wingers around Europe with his pace and his ability to score and assist, and we’ve unsurprisingly seen him linked with some big clubs because I think he’s a really underrated talent with big potential.

So what’s the situation? His agent Felix Tainta has made it clear that his client doesn’t want to leave on a free transfer, but at the moment they are yet to receive a contract proposal from Athletic Bilbao.

It’s November, almost December, and nothing is agreed, so it’s a dangerous situation for Athletic and they have to be fast. Williams is out of contract at the end of the season and in January he can agree a deal for next season as a free agent. The idea was to continue on a long-term contract with a release clause of €50m, so let’s see what happens there.

Williams himself has also spoken about his situation, and said that if you’re being linked with clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona then it means you’re doing something right, but he wants to continue with his current club. It’s important to mention two things, though, because from what I’m hearing Real Madrid and Barcelona have sent their scouts to follow the player, but as of yet no one has sent a formal proposal – they know his priority is to stay at Athletic, so let’s see what happens there.

Chelsea also had Williams on their list in the summer – their priority target was Cole Palmer, but when he was not yet available and not yet given the green light from Manchester City, Williams was one of the players they secretly considered at the club. Then nothing happened because Chelsea wanted to go for Palmer and they are very happy.

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Aston Villa could be another name to watch – Unai Emery would love to have him, but in the summer it was impossible to make it happen. Let’s see if his contract situation means it’s a different story next summer, but it is important to remember that he doesn’t want to betray Athletic by leaving on a free. So it’s up to the club and their proposal now.

Joao Neves scouted by Manchester United and other top clubs

Benfica are always producing talents and Joao Neves is another one – born in 2004, the midfielder is doing fantastic for them right now, particularly against Sporting Lisbon in their last game. He’s already a crucial player for them and a top talent, and we’ve seen him linked with top clubs in recent months.

What I can mention today is that Manchester United sent their scouts to watch Neves in the game against Sporting. They want to keep an eye on his progress and development, so this could be one to watch for the future. Many clubs are keeping an eye on him, but I can confirm that Man United are one of them.

What will happen next will depend on several factors like the ownership, the manager, the directors who are likely to change in the next weeks with Sir Jim Ratcliffe incoming … many changes are likely at United, but the scouting department are keeping a close eye on Neves.

Staying with Man United, I’ve had some fans asking me about reports linking them with an interest in a winger and a right-back this January, but that’s not the information I have. As I recently said, I’m told their priority for 2024 is a centre-back, and in my opinion they’re already well covered at right-back with Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot.

In other news…

Walter Mazzarri – We’ve had a big change in Italian football and also one that could have an impact in the Champions League as Napoli have fired Rudi Garcia as manager and brought Walter Mazzarri back to the club. After ten years, and spells with clubs like Inter Milan and Watford, Mazzarri is back at Napoli in a role until the end of the season.

Timo Werner – Despite some hints from RB Leipzig, there’s still no firm decision made on Werner’s future. His exit could be a possibility but it’s not a guaranteed decision, it will take some time before RB Leipzig decide their plans; also, Emil Forsberg is leaving the club for New York Red Bulls, so they don’t want to lose too many players.

Samuel Iling-Junior – I’m aware there have been some links with Tottenham and Samuel Iling-Junior. My understanding is that there are many English clubs monitoring Samuel, but it’s just about scouting and nothing else so far. It will depend on Juventus’ decision and they’ve not made any internal decision on his future yet.

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Aston Villa ace on his way after Unai Emery bust-up

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 08:33:32 +0000

So far so very good for Unai Emery and his Aston Villa side this season.

The Spaniard has really got the Villains ticking over brilliantly, and their current fifth place in the English top-flight is fully deserved.

Just three points away from Man City in the top spot, and joint top of their Europa Conference League group, there’s every reason to believe that if Emery is able to ensure that results and performances continue in the same manner, then 2023/24 could be a really special season for the club.

Much of the success has to be down to how well Emery has the dressing room functioning, and for the most part it appears that his squad are fully behind him – perhaps with one possible exception.

According to Football Insider, young Jhon Duran is proving to be a disruptive influence behind the scenes and, as a result, the club will look to offload him at the first opportunity.

The outlet suggest that a loan move is most likely, though clubs will surely be reticent to take a chance on a player that, at 19 years of age, is still learning his trade and must also learn to wait his turn.

It appears that a lack of match time is behind that issue and, if anything, Duran needs to be a little more mature and understanding about things.

His current attitude certainly isn’t going to do him any favours with new employers.

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Sky Sports pundit believes Aston Villa are a better coached team than Manchester United

Connor Holden — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 21:51:33 +0000

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher has said that Aston Villa are a better coached team than Manchester United over the last 12 months, since Unai Emery joined Villa.

Carragher said there is “no doubt about that” regarding to his comment that Villa are a better coached team than United over the past 12 months.

The Premier League table offers proof of this too, with Aston Villa sitting 5th place above Manchester United in 6th, with four points separating the two sides.

However many would suggest it isn’t just about the points on the board, but also the way the two sides are playing, with Aston Villa performing at a much better level currently.

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