Aston Villa travel down to Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon hoping to get the better of a much-improved Chelsea side.
Three points for the London club and they go into second place in the Premier League table, but equally, a win for Aston Villa and they go level on points with Enzo Maresca’s side.
Aston Villa are going through a rut – seven games without a win – but, in the overall picture, Unai Emery has done a fantastic job so far.
One of the key reasons Villa reached the Champions League was, not just because of Emery’s coaching and the improvement of individual players.
But also the recruitment, from the free transfer of the underrated Youri Tielemans to the purchase of ball-playing centre-half, Pau Torres, have been game-changing.
For several years, Chelsea couldn’t say that, and in fact, there was screaming and shouting at how they had gone from this Champions League-winning side under Thomas Tuchel to almost unrecognisable years later.
Yes, in some cases a lot of young and inexperienced players were brought in, so time was needed and that is now coming to the fore because they are performing very well.
Someone like Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Jackson – who will be a huge threat to Villa on Sunday – are prime examples of that.
But then, there are signings Villa fans – at the time – warned Chelsea about that just haven’t simply worked out and it’s proven that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
Carney Chukwuemeka should never have left Aston Villa for Chelsea
At the time, then-18-year-old Carney Chukwuemeka was making huge strides in the colours of Aston Villa and there was excitement around the place regarding his talents.
Once dubbed ‘the best 16-year-old in the country’, Chukwuemeka was expected to go places and reach the top of English football.
But, with 12 months remaining on his Villa contract, he decided to secure a £20 million deal to Chelsea, even though Villa and then-manager Steven Gerrard wanted to keep him.
Villa fans had warned Chukwuemeka about moving because many felt that he was developing in a strong manner in B6, earning those minutes and was still at the very early stages of his career.
But the cool and composed midfielder decided to secure the move, during a time when Chelsea seemingly purchased the world of football, and now he is stuck in his development.
Chukwuemeka vs Jhon Duran
Yes, the Chelsea fan might like to see more of Chukwuemeka because his talents demand it, but the fact of the matter is that he has only managed 63 minutes this term.
In the summer, there was talk of Jhon Duran leaving Villa for Chelsea, but the all-action striker did the right thing to stay on board and, surprise, surprise, it’s helping his development and growth as a player.
As posted by Transfermarkt, Duran has nine goals in 18 games in all competitions and is seen as one of the top young prospects in the Premier League.
| Competition | Apps | Goals | Minutes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Premier League | 12 | 4 | 299′ |
 | UEFA Champions League | 5 | 2 | 159′ |
 | EFL Cup | 2 | 2 | 180′ |
| Total 24/25: | 19 | 8 | 638′ | |
Duran is able to develop at Villa and grow his game, whilst Chukwuemeka has played a combined 679 minutes since moving to Chelsea and it’s proven that he should have stayed in B6.
He might have got his big transfer years later, but Chukwuemeka would have improved under Emery, played in the Champions League and not be in a situation where there is talk of him leaving the Bridge.
