Aston Villa have become one of the best and most exciting teams in Europe ever since Spanish manager Unai Emery took the job. They have signed young, talented players that have massively helped them qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
He has developed so many good players and won on so many difficult grounds, it is hard to call this anything less than a success job. However, it is not just on the sporting forefront where Emery has been doing such a fabulous job.
One of the most important things Emery has done is build concrete interpersonal connections with his own players, which he has tried to do at every club he has been a part of. So many players at Villa have upped their game ever since the Spanish coach took over, and it is not surprising when he says so many good things about some of his players publicly.
That is what has happened with Aston Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa.
“Konsa’s potential is better even than he is showing,” said Emery. “He is a very good player. His capacity physically, technically and tactically is a lot. Mentally, we are pushing this year trying to get more from him.”
Konsa has been a really impressive player for Villa throughout his time at the club – but particularly in the last couple of seasons – so much so that he has garnered interest from other top clubs in Europe due to his consistent output week in, and week out.
The Englishman definitely has what it takes to develop even further and become one of the best centre-backs in the world, and Emery is not shying away from telling him exactly what he expects from the 26-year-old, as he enters his supposed footballing prime.
Hridyam Arora is a football journalist who covers Real Madrid for Managing Madrid and can be found in various press boxes across England. He writes about Real Madrid, hosts the Castilla Corner – a podcast about Real Madrid’s youth academy – and runs Managing Madrid’s socials. He is an editor at Trivela Effect. He has worked for plenty of different sites like Football Espana, The Real Champs, The Pride Of London, Brush With Bamboo, Villarreal USA, etc.