Aston Villa stars ‘unhappy’ as Unai Emery scrambles after ‘everybody fighting’
Aston Villa’s terrible start to the season has largely been caused by several “unhappy” stars behind the scenes, according to their former senior scout.
Mick Brown, who also worked as the chief scout at Man United and Sunderland and remains very well-connected at his former clubs, exclusively told Football Insider that a turbulent summer window has left multiple players questioning their positions.
The likes of Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins have been unsettled by talk surrounding their futures, while Jacob Ramsey’s controversial move to Newcastle caused uproar.
There have been suggestions that Aston Villa’s dressing room are raging at Ramsey’s sale, with Tyrone Mings having publicly addressed the concerns.
As a result, Unai Emery has been placed in a very difficult position attempting to galvanise his squad following a dismal start to the season.
Aston Villa stars unsettled by transfer window drama
Villa have yet to score a Premier League goal this season after four games, and were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Brentford on penalties following a 1-1 draw.
Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, has insisted that the negative atmosphere behind the scenes is directly to blame for their slow start.
“The situation in the summer has caused a lot of discontent among the players,” he told Football Insider.
“Martinez had all the talk about his future, it was never clear whether he was staying or going, whether they wanted to cash in or he was part of the plans, that wasn’t just on his end.
“Watkins as well, all the talk was about Villa being willing to let him go and whether clubs like Arsenal, Man United, Newcastle might be interested.
“Morgan Rogers, there was a lot of interest in him and speculation about his future.
“Plus a load of other players in that team as well who there was so much uncertainty around, even the likes of John McGinn who was mentioned too.
“It’s not surprise their form has gone off a cliff, because none of the players during the summer knew whether they’d even be there at the start of the season.
“That’s a major issue for Emery, because it’s a completely different dynamic to the one he had build up before where everybody was pulling in the same direction, it was a tight-knit unit with everybody fighting for the same thing.
“When you drift away from that, with a lot of unhappy players, it’s a very difficult position to be in.“
Emery has now been left attempting to regroup his players and get them back to the close group he had last season, but fears are growing it may be too late.
Unai Emery scrambling to put out Aston Villa fires
Villa’s handling of a difficult summer window has raised serious questions of the management behind the scenes, with a lack of clarity only causing further issues.
Crucial leaders in the dressing room including McGinn and Mings expressed their frustration at Villa and the way the window had been handled.
Meanwhile, Brown told Football Insider on 16 September that Watkins is not happy at Aston Villa after the constant speculation surrounding his future in the summer.
Brown told Football Insider on 16 September that Aston Villa could be forced to sack Emery if results do not improve, regardless of who is to blame for the issues.
Emery is not thought to be under any immediate pressure, but should his side go five, six, or even seven games without a goal or a win, a decision will have to be made.
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