Aston Villa are flying high in the Premier League under Unai Emery; nevertheless, he could be left a man down in January following recent developments.
Aston Villa see off Brentford
Once again, Aston Villa continue to live up to their billing in the Premier League and find themselves just one point behind league leaders Arsenal after late strikes from Alex Moreno and Ollie Watkins helped to reverse the tide at the Gtech Community Stadium after Keane Lewis-Potter opened the scoring.
In a bad-tempered affair, Ben Mee was sent off for the hosts and Boubacar Kamara for the visitors; meanwhile, ten players in total were booked during the affair alongside both managers, which could provoke disciplinary action from the Football Association for the respective clubs' failing to control their players.
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Emery indicated in his post-match press conference that his players' behaviour may have overstepped the mark despite acknowledging that they may have been provoked in some cases, as he stated via Birmingham Live: "Of course, our behaviour is being fantastic, but today maybe not good. I want to explain to the players how we can react when we are under pressure in some circumstances there was provocation from them."
Nevertheless, the Aston Villa support will be delighted with their side's willingness to fight for the jersey and nobody can deny that their commitment to the cause has been a major driving factor in their unexpected title challenge.
Sheffield United come next for the Villans on Friday night at Villa Park; however, they will also have an eye on the upcoming January transfer window. Now, a new report has suggested that Emery may lose one of his depth options once the market opens for activity.
Clement Lenglet loan deal could be terminated
According to Football Insider, Barcelona could look to terminate Clement Lenglet's loan deal at Aston Villa because he is still yet to feature in a single Premier League match this campaign. The report states that the France international could now return to Barcelona in the New Year and then be sold on for profit as La Blaugrana battle with financial problems that have left them in a position where they need to raise funds to enact their own transfer business.
Clement Lenglet's per game stats in 2023/24 – Europa Conference League (Sofascore)
Accurate passes
78.6 (93%)
Accurate passes in own half
49.8 (95%)
Balls recovered
5.4
Duels won
3.6 (64%)
Tackles
1.2
Average match rating
7/10
AC Milan are believed to be keen on a swoop for the 28-year-old does head back to the sunnier climbs of Barcelona in early 2024. Lenglet's contract at the La Liga champions runs until the summer of 2026; however, it does now look like he could be on his way out of the West Midlands
Left-footed Lenglet has made the entirety of his appearances for the Villans in the Europa Conference League, turning out five times in total across the competition's group stage (Lenglet statistics – Transfermarkt).
Nevertheless, you would imagine a man of his pedrigree would want regular first-team football, so a departure in January may make sense for all parties.