Istanbul. It’s not just the home of Turkey’s most famous clubs but a city whose very name carries huge historical weight for football supporters far and wide.
Aston Villa joined their ranks in May. Mention Istanbul in earshot of a Villa supporter now and their mind will instantly conjure up memories of Besiktas Stadium, Freiburg, the Europa League final and a first European trophy for 44 years.
Two of Villa’s scorers in their 3-0 win have been sold in the last week. Youri Tielemans, whose thumping volley broke the deadlock, is now a Manchester United player. Morgan Rogers prodded in Villa’s third and has since signed for Chelsea.
Why are Villa signing Alejandro Garnacho?
Tielemans’ departure was lubricated by a £35 million release clause. If Villa had any choice in the matter, it was when the Belgium captain signed rather than when he was sold.
Rogers attracted a British record transfer fee of £117 million. For a club in dire need of a windfall to help ease the pressure of complying with financial regulations and their agreement with UEFA, the practical reality of a boost like that speaks for itself.
No sooner had the sale of Rogers been confirmed than speculation about a loan deal for Chelsea winger Alejandro Garnacho crystallised. It’s understood that Villa have agreed terms with the Blues for a season-long loan with a conditional obligation to buy him at the end of the season.
That wording is important. Under UEFA transfer regulations, a permanent transfer for Garnacho would be considered as a swap deal if it were agreed in this summer transfer window and within 45 days. In this case, those criteria are one and the same.
By agreeing an obligation that will be triggered somewhere down the road, Villa and Chelsea hope to avoid the Rogers and Garnacho transfers being linked. There’s no guarantee they will succeed.
Reporting around the Garnacho agreement has referred to the positive relationship between the two clubs and the implications are obvious, but none of the neatly tied-off ends answer the biggest question. Do Villa actually want Garnacho?
To say Garnacho will arrive at Bodymoor Heath with some baggage would be an understatement.
The 22-year-old played 144 times for Manchester United but was effectively exiled under Ruben Amorim, joining Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Tyrell Malacia and Antony in the so-called Bomb Squad.
Could Garnacho be the ultimate Emery project?
He will become the third of those players to link up with Unai Emery and Villa on loan. Rashford and Sancho were brought in with question marks over their professional suitability and both left having answered those doubts.
Rehabilitating unwanted Man United wingers is an unusual hobby, but Emery is an unusual manager. Garnacho wouldn’t be a Villa player without his blessing.
There will be expectations on Garnacho at Villa that he’ll have to grow up to meet. After a brief layover at Stamford Bridge, the Argentina international has been deemed talented enough to warrant the risk.
Loans for Rashford, Sancho and Garnacho aren’t examples of Villa seizing on opportunities to bring in players they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to attract, but gutsy statements that Emery believes he’s a better manager than Amorim and Michael Carrick.
Almost every player who’s pulled on a Villa shirt since Emery was appointed in 2022 has improved and the manager clearly fancies himself to do what United and Chelsea couldn’t.
Garnacho’s reputation suggests he could be Emery’s greatest loan challenge yet, notwithstanding last season’s Harvey Elliott debacle.
Villa have a robust dressing room culture capable of keeping troubled and troublesome younger members in check but Tielemans, Rogers and Lucas Digne were respected leaders in the squad.
Their departures have already presented Emery and Villa with a test of their substance at the same time as rebuilding the team without stopping. Throwing Garnacho in at the same time is bold, to say the least.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, the best-case scenario is worth the effort. If Emery can Garnacho playing at his best, he’ll offer something Villa need in wide areas but haven’t had for some time.
In Emery’s two-man midfield and line of three behind a striker, Villa are morphing into a new proposition; Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes are different than the players they’ll succeed.
An unpredictable, incisive, fiery winger looks like an exciting addition on paper. Emery’s job is to make sure that the ‘Garnacho’ on the back of his shirt doesn’t still imply in May what it does in July.