Aston Villa managed to beat a host of clubs to sign free agent Youri Tielemans in summer 2023 following the end of the Belgian’s Leicester City contract.
Youri Tielemans‘ stock may have fallen somewhat having been a part of the Leicester side that suffered a shock relegation that campaign, but to get the midfielder on a free was still a real coup for Aston Villa.
It took a while for Tielemans to really get going at Villa as he adapted to his new surroundings and learned what Unai Emery wanted of him, but he has been one of the club’s most important players in 2023.
The all-rounder really stepped up following the injury to Boubacar Kamara in February before taking increased responsibility at the start of the new season to fill the void left by the sale of Douglas Luiz.
Now, Tielemans is preparing to line up for Villa in the Champions League and this is something he has revealed that Emery used to help persuade him to sign last summer.
Unai Emery used Champions League to tempt Youri Tielemans to sign for Aston Villa
Villa fans were in dreamland as their club secured a top four spot to qualify for the Champions League last season, but this was all part of the plan for Emery.
The Spanish coach is incredibly ambitious and has shown his qualities as he has taken Villa from potential relegation fodder to Europe’s elite club competition in less than two tears.
Speaking ahead of Villa’s opening game of the Champions League away at Young boys, Tielemans revealed how Emery used the competition to convince him a move to Villa Park would pay dividends.
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Tielemans revealed: “The manager was selling me this idea of playing Champions League and I really bought into it. And that’s one of the reasons I signed.
“The fact that we got the Champions League after my first year here is earlier than expected, but the fact that we are here means that we’re doing well and we need to carry on in this way.”
Tielemans full of praise for Aston Villa boss Emery
There is no doubting that the arrival of Emery as manager in late 2022 instantly elevated the calibre of player Villa could target.
Emery is a coach who has real pedigree in Europe having won the Europa League a record four times and his spell at Villa means he is now as highly regarded in England as he is across the rest of the continent.
Tielemans could not be happier with his manager, explaining: “He improves you as a player. I think his tactical analysis of the game is just first-class.
“He can really sell it to you, like I said he sold me his project. The fact that he can do that on the footballing stage is what we want as footballers and that’s what is really exciting about him.”
Tielemans made his Champions League debut for Anderlecht at 16 before playing in the competition for Monaco but will end a five year exodus from the competition against Young Boys on Tuesday evening.
