Unai Emery believes that Aston Villa’s squad strength is demonstrated by their ability to cope with the loss of key players due to injuries. At the beginning of the season, Villa lost Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings, while Alex Moreno did not play until November, and Jacob Ramsey has been limited to only four Premier League starts.However, these setbacks have not prevented Villa from having their best season in over a decade. They currently hold the fourth position in the Premier League table, have advanced to the last-16 of the Europa Conference League, and are scheduled to host Chelsea tomorrow night in an FA Cup fourth-round replay.Love this man’s passion for this football club 💜🤌🏼Unai Emery’s Claret & Blue army! pic.twitter.com/fyjpvrOUt7— Dan (@DL1992_) February 4, 2024 Despite only making one major signing, Morgan Rogers, during the January transfer window, Emery believes that his squad has already demonstrated resilience.”We finished the pre-season and the transfer window, and we had two important injuries with Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia. It was a tough moment. I always try to work with every player on being ready and understanding our tactical idea and being demanding consistent. We had two players out as well with Ramsey and Alex Moreno. Even Ramsey is now getting better, but he has not really been consistent during the first part of the season. We succeeded without some important players – Mings, Buendia, Ramsey and Moreno. This is the example for everybody.”The former Villarreal, Arsenal and PSG head coach is happy with Villa’s “intelligent” work in a month when their spending was restricted to comply with the league’s Financial Fair Play rules. The club’s focus was on recruiting young players. They signed Australian goalkeeper Joe Gauci, who was 23 years old, for just $2 million, making him the eldest of the four signings.”We were extremely aware of the analysis of how we could improve the squad and how we could give players chances and confidence to show it. We decided with Joe Gauci on a young goalkeeper with potential and then with Morgan joining us. And we decided with the young players we have in the academy here – Omari Kellyman and other players who are practising with us a lot. We have to get the responsibility to support and help them – give them chances.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7855541##Along with the present, the Birmingham club is working to tie their best players to new contracts. According to multiple reports in England, Villa is close to agreeing on a new contract with Leon Bailey. The talented winger is having an excellent season at Villa Park and is reportedly eager to commit his future to the club under Emery’s guidance. Bailey has scored ten goals and provided nine assists so far this season, with seven and six, respectively, in the Premier League. His most recent goal was in the 5-0 win against Sheffield United on Saturday evening. The 26-year-old joined Villa from Bayer Leverkusen for around $35 million in 2021. His existing contract was set to expire in June 2025. With the transfer window now closed, Villa is taking care of an important piece of housekeeping by extending the Jamaican’s stay at the club.
