In a pre-season of struggle for Aston Villa, Unai Emery has unearthed a gem with ‘huge potential’ who could save him millions in the future.
A team should never be judged on their pre-season results and performances but Aston Villa have lost four of their last five matches, including defeats against Columbus, Club America, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, with Villa only securing a 3-2 victory over Athletic Bilbao.
Admittedly, Unai Emery didn’t have some of his key players for most of those matches, with Ollie Watkins, Emi Martinez and Ezri Konsa enjoying a well-earned extended break.
Whilst that hasn’t been an ideal scenario for the Spaniard, it has allowed him to unleash some of his most talented youngsters. Villa right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic, aged just 18, is the prime example of a player taking his chance in pre-season, and he isn’t the only one.
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Aston Villa youngster Lamare Bogarde has impressed in pre-season
Lamare Bogarde was rarely ever seen in an Aston Villa jersey before pre-season, with the 20-year-old spending the last two campaigns on loan at League One outfit Bristol Rovers.
A versatile operator, who can play as a centre-back or in holding midfield, Bogarde was lauded for his ‘huge potential’ by Rovers first-team coach Andy Mangan and supporters at Villa Park are starting to see it.
Following their narrow 3-2 win over Bilbao, Villa fans were calling for Bogarde to stay as a backup centre-back this season after impressing against the Spanish first-division side.
A regular fixture across most of his sides’ pre-season fixtures, the young Dutchman showed incredible composure when carrying the ball out from defence and held his own defensively when questions were asked of him.
With Villa looking for a new central defender, namely Lutsharel Geertruida, perhaps Bogarde won’t play much first-team football however, the narrative of Emery’s defence is looking pretty bleak.
Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres are his only senior options as Diego Carlos is set to leave Villa Park and Tyrone Mings continues his recovery from an ACL injury.
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Emery can save Aston Villa millions by playing Bogarde
In the 2023/24 campaign, Emery was forced into calling on his centre-back depth, partnering Carlos and Torres next to each other while Konsa was shifted out to right back.
Now, with the Brazilian’s future hanging in the balance, the Villa boss is short on options at the back and he could save the club millions by trusting Bogarde when needed.
Emery will want his side to battle across all fronts, including in the Premier League, Champions League and domestic cup competitions, and he’ll need the players to do so.
With Bogarde shining in pre-season and holding his own against tough opponents, he’s proven he can be a reliable back-up for Torres and Konsa, even when a new defender is signed.
Indeed, keeping the former Dutch under-20 international at the club would save the club from splashing the cash, especially with Mings soon returning.
