A round-up of all the latest Aston Villa stories including, Ollie Watkins concern for West Ham as the price tag is revealed for Lutsharel Geertruida.
Ollie Watkins concern for Unai Emery ahead of West Ham vs Aston Villa
The biggest star last season for Villa was no doubt Watkins. The striker netted 27 goals in all competitions and collected numerous assists to match this feat.
In the summer, his form continued as he shone in the Euros for England and netted a fantastic last-gasp winner against the Netherlands in the semi-finals.
However, this could cause problems for Emery as Villa face their first opponents of the Premier League season on Saturday.
Due to his international commitments with England, Watkins has had little time with Villa over the summer.
This could mean that it takes some time for the striker to get up to speed once again, especially with all the new additions the club has made over the summer.
Therefore, an argument could be made that Emery should consider leaving Watkins on the bench for the West Ham clash.
You can read more about Emery’s Watkins dilemma against West Ham here.
Aston Villa learn the price tag for Lutsharel Geertruida
Throughout the transfer window, Emery has not been afraid to make new additions to his Villa squad.
Multiple new faces have now joined the Birmingham outfit ready for their Premier League and Champions League campaigns.
However, despite the flurry of signings, the Villa manager still wants to upgrade his defence further.
One target is believed to be Geertruida. ESPN (Netherlands site) report that Villa are ‘trying’ to add Geertruida to their squad but ‘an agreement’ still hasn’t been reached with Feyenoord over a transfer fee.
It is believed that the cost of the defender could be around £30 million but Emery would have to part with more players to meet that valuation.
You can read more about Geertrudia and Villa’s potential transfer here.
Injury news for West Ham vs Aston Villa
For Saturday’s match, multiple of Villa’s new signings will be hoping to make their competitive debuts in Claret and Blue.
Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen are almost certain to get a run out while Jaden Philogene will also be hoping to make the squad.
Unfortunately, Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara will both miss the game with their injuries with Emi Buendia also unlikely to make the team.
You can read the full preview for West Ham vs Aston Villa here.
