Unai Emery has now revealed the reason behind him letting Cameron Archer leave Aston Villa to join Southampton.
Archer returned to Aston Villa this summer after triggering a clause in his contract, which required the club to play £18 million for the striker as Sheffield United were relegated from the Premier League.
The 22-year-old – who netted just four top-flight goals last term – has since knuckled down in pre-season, scoring three goals in six friendlies in the absence of Ollie Watkins.
Despite showing signs of solid scoring form, rumours surrounding his exit have refused to disperse. Initially, it looked as though Archer would join Bournemouth as they eye a replacement for Dominic Solanke.
Then, it was reported that Union Berlin and Getafe wanted to take Archer on loan, while the striker has since joined Southampton permanently in a deal worth £15 million, with the Saints now confirming his arrival.
Unai Emery explains why he’s deciding to sell Cameron Archer
Archer had one of the most unenvious tasks in world football, and that was usurping Watkins at the forefront of the Villa attack.
Watkins returned an eye-watering 37 goal contributions last term and when fit and available, the 28-year-old is simply undroppable. It gives any other striker at Villa the impossible task of playing regular minutes.
From a selfish point of view, Archer needed to be at a club where he’s the main man and gets to start every single week.
In his pre-match press conference, as revealed by Jacob Tanswell, that is essentially the reason why Emery has let the youngster depart, despite him only returning this summer.
“The decision is that he’s close to leaving because we think he needs to develop and we can’t assure him he can play minutes with us,” Emery said.
Archer’s exit means Jhon Duran should stay
Eagle-eyed Aston Villa fans spotted that Duran was wearing the number 9 on his training jersey, which is perhaps Emery showing faith in the Colombian, despite him previously alienating the fanbase.
That decision and the fact that Archer has left, suggests the 20-year-old is the man the Spaniard trusts to play as second choice to Watkins.
It’s a role he played well last term, particularly towards the end of last season, as Duran scored a brace from the bench against Liverpool and was a nuisance to defend against.
Entering the new campaign, supporters will feel a little differently towards the towering Colombian after his immature actions in pre-season however, if he can knuckle down and focus on his football, he’ll be an invaluable weapon for Emery to bring on from the bench.
There aren’t many strikers his age on the planet who have a higher ceiling currently and developing under a world-class manager can see him fulfil that potential, perhaps improving on his eight starts in all competitions last term.
