Emery's Right-Back Rethink for Aston Villa

Unai Emery has made his mind up. If Aston Villa are going to live comfortably among Europe’s elite, the right flank needs upgrading – or at the very least, serious reinforcing.

Emery’s right-back rethink

The Villa manager has ringed the right-back position in red on his summer planning board, determined to bring in strong competition for Matty Cash. He wants depth, he wants variety, and he wants a defender who can handle the tactical demands of a side fighting on several fronts.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka sits near the top of that list. According to The Athletic, the 28-year-old West Ham United defender has emerged as a primary target, his defensive instincts and one‑v‑one dominance viewed inside Villa Park as a natural fit for Emery’s flexible, shape-shifting back line.

This is not a whim. It’s a reaction to deals that slipped away earlier in the window. A move for Flamengo’s Emerson Royal, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur, never came together, forcing Villa’s recruitment team to pivot and keep searching for a solution at right-back.

Villa think Champions League, West Ham count the cost

Villa’s ambition is clear. After lifting the Europa League last season and finishing fourth in the Premier League, they are building a squad they believe can handle the strain of Champions League football while maintaining domestic standards.

West Ham, by contrast, are dealing with a very different reality.

Relegation to the Championship has hit the east London club hard. Next season will be their first in the second tier since 2011-12, and the financial and sporting reset that comes with that drop has made several players vulnerable to departure. Wan-Bissaka is one of them. The Hammers are understood to be open to sanctioning his exit.

Last season, the full-back made 27 appearances in all competitions for West Ham, chipping in with three assists. On paper, those numbers are solid. On the pitch, his role grew more fragile as the campaign wore on.

From nailed-on starter to watching on

The shift was stark. As the season edged towards its conclusion, Wan-Bissaka’s minutes began to shrink. He started only two of West Ham’s final seven matches, often watching Kyle Walker-Peters take his place in the XI. For a player used to being trusted in the biggest moments, it marked a clear downturn.

Any move to Villa would represent a sharp change in fortune – from a club bracing for the Championship to one preparing for the Champions League – but it would not come cheap. Wan-Bissaka signed a seven-year contract when he joined from Manchester United in a £15 million deal, tying him to the London Stadium until 2031 and underpinning a high valuation.

International stature intact

While West Ham faltered, Wan-Bissaka’s standing with DR Congo held firm. He started all four of their matches at this summer’s World Cup, delivering a series of assured displays that drew attention from scouts across the tournament. On the international stage, his reputation as a lockdown defender remains intact.

That image was forged during his time at Old Trafford. Across five seasons with Manchester United, Wan-Bissaka built a case as one of Europe’s most reliable one-on-one defenders, racking up 190 appearances and playing a central role in squads that lifted the EFL Cup in 2022-23 and the FA Cup in 2023-24.

Now the question hangs over the window: does Emery turn that pedigree into his next major defensive signing, or does Wan-Bissaka’s future stay tied to a Championship rebuild in east London?