Unai Emery has loved a terrific begin to life in command of Aston Villa by successful eight of his first 14 Premier League matches on the helm since changing Steven Gerrard earlier this season.
One in every of his former groups, Arsenal, are outshining the Villans within the division this season, although, because the Gunners are presently prime of the desk with 11 video games to play.
Emery had the pleasure of managing a lot of their present squad throughout his time at The Emirates; together with Granit Xhaka, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Reiss Nelson.
They’re now taking part in their half in a possible title-winning marketing campaign and the Spaniard may use inspiration from his work with these skills to develop a few of Villa’s promising younger gamers.
Solely three outfield stars featured in additional video games for Emery than Xhaka throughout his spell with Arsenal and the boss may discover his subsequent model of the Switzerland worldwide by unearthing Tim Iroegbunam subsequent season.
Who’s Tim Iroegbunam?
He’s a 19-year-old central midfielder who has graduated from the Villa academy and is presently out on mortgage at Queens Park Rangers till the tip of the marketing campaign.
Like Xhaka, the England U20 worldwide is a tall and combative power at 5 foot 11 in the midst of the park, somebody who can be able to contributing at each ends of the pitch.
Within the Premier League this season, the Arsenal enforcer has scored three targets and supplied 5 assists from midfield whereas averaging 1.4 key passes and 1.2 tackles and interceptions per recreation – successful 53% of his particular person duels.
Iroegbunam, who scored 4 targets and supplied 4 assists in 30 matches for West Brom’s U18s, was just lately described by supervisor Gareth Ainsworth as a participant who “glides previous folks and may end with each ft” and this highlights his attacking risk.
The “spectacular” – as dubbed by ex-coach Michael Beale – teenager has solely scored twice in 25 Championship begins for QPR however is in his first season of normal first-team soccer and continues to be discovering his ft at first-team degree.
His defensive attributes are additionally there for all to see. Within the Premier League final season, the teen made 5 tackles and interceptions mixed and gained 4 of his six duels in a 2-0 win over Norwich, which reveals that he has the standard to make an affect on the prime degree on his day.
Iroegbunam, who has averaged 2.9 tackles and interceptions per match within the Championship, is a midfielder with the potential to affect video games at each ends of the pitch and Emery may utilise his expertise as a box-to-box participant, as he did in 51 video games with Xhaka.
Subsequently, the Spaniard may unearth his subsequent model of the doable title-winner by bringing the teenage Villa expertise into the squad for pre-season this summer season after his mortgage spell in London.
