Unai Emery has now confirmed that a player he thought ‘would leave’ is now set to stay at Aston Villa.
It’s been an extremely busy summer at Aston Villa, who have seen incomings and exits galore as they prepare for their Champions League campaign.
Unai Emery was almost forced into selling star midfielder Douglas Luiz to satisfy PSR regulations while record-signing Moussa Diaby soon followed him out the door as he joined Al Ittihad.
Several other Villa players looked as though they’d join Diaby and Luiz – including centre-back Diego Carlos – who attracted interest from West Ham and Fulham.
It was even reported by Fabrizio Romano last week that talks between Carlos and Fulham were at an ‘advanced stage’, with it looking increasingly likely that he’d depart Villa Park.
But, in a dramatic turn of events, Emery has provided a telling update on his future in his pre-match press conference.
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Unai Emery confirms that Diego Carlos will stay at Aston Villa
Carlos has been lambasted for his rash approach to defending by sections of Villa’s support but last season, he was integral in the heart of defence for Emery, making 36 appearances in all competitions.
The 31-year-old was even praised for some of his star performances, including in the 2-0 win over Arsenal, where Danny Gabbidon dubbed him as ‘outrageous’ for how he marshalled the back line.
It is therefore no surprise that clubs were sniffing for the 31-year-old but Emery has since confirmed that he would only leave if a ‘good offer’ came in and now he’s ‘happy’ to keep Carlos in his squad.
As per The Athletic, Emery said: “Diego Carlos is completely with us now. Yes, we were thinking maybe he would leave in case he had a good offer from another team and of course, we were open to listening.
“But from this moment and today, he is with us because we are happy with Diego Carlos and he had good performances last year. This year is the same idea.
“Maybe that can change with a good offer but it’s not in my mind to change something around him.”
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Aston Villa’s defensive depth shows keeping Carlos is wise
Carlos does have his critics and this was highlighted after he was sent off in Villa’s 2-0 defeat against RB Leipzig in pre-season.
At this point, many would have been happy to see him leave this summer however, it wouldn’t be wise to sell the Brazilian in their current situation.
Including Carlos, Villa only have three fit senior centre-backs, with Torres and Ezri Konsa currently first choice and likely to start against West Ham.
It meant that if the Villans were to sanction an exit for the former Sevilla man, they’d be down to the bare bones defensively, with youngster Lamare Bogarde becoming a realistic third choice.
Indeed, offloading Carlos would only be viable if they had a guaranteed replacement lined up. Aston Villa are currently chasing Feyenoord’s Lutsharel Geertruida but ideally, they’d keep their current crop of defenders while adding the Dutchman.
Some may not agree with Emery’s decision to keep the Brazilian however, there’s no doubt that his experience will be invaluable ahead of the Champions League.
