Emi Buendia the Final Piece of Aston Villa’s Attack

The summer is here and the NWSE cheque book is out once again, with Aston Villa poised to make Emi Buendia their new record signing.

The Argentinian midfielder will join from Norwich City for a reported initial fee of £33m and Villa fans can expect him to make an instant impact in claret and blue.

The Championship Player of the Season was far and away the best in England’s second tier last year, demonstrated by the extensive list of areas in which he dominated.

As a passer, Buendia has a creative eye the ability to execute his vision. He registered 16 assists last season, the most in the Championship, as well as the most expected assists (12.02).

He also led the league in shot assists, smart passes and through passes. Buendia’s ability to unlock the door is where Villa may benefit the most from his arrival.

No Villa player attempted more smart passes or through passes per 90 minutes than Buendia last season, and only Jack Grealish assisted more shots.

Buendia boasts an excellent record as a goal scorer, too. He bagged 15 last season and can find the net from inside or outside the box. Those goals came from an XG of 13.02, indicating Emi’s impressive finishing ability.

Defensive contribution is another strength for Buendia, who ranked 1^st among Championship wingers and attacking midfielders for possession adjusted interceptions and 3^rd for successful defensive actions per 90 minutes in 2020/21.

Those marks are better than any non-defender put up last season for Aston Villa.

It will be interesting to see how Dean Smith fits his new weapon into the arsenal, as Buendia has a flexible skillset.

For Norwich, Buendia played almost exclusively on the right wing, but rather than hugging the touchline, the new-school winger more often cut in onto his “weaker” left side, showing the confidence he has using either foot.

But with Bertrand Traore entrenched on the right side as Villa’s left-footed inverted winger, a move to the left side or the “number 10” position could be on the cards, depending on the position of Grealish.

Wherever he plays, the fluid combination of Grealish, Traore and Buendia could be a nightmare for opposition defences to figure out. With Anwar El Ghazi still staking a claim for a starting spot as well, Dean Smith will need to stock up on ibuprofen to cure his looming selection headache.

Due to his playing style, Buendia only attempted 0.66 crosses per 90 minutes last term, but that does not mean he cannot do it. His 53.85% cross accuracy led all Championship wingers in 2020/21.

The Argentinian is not an overly frequent dribbler either, especially compared to the prolific Grealish and Traore, but his success rate is 64.38%, 3^rd best among Championship wingers and attacking midfielders.

There is almost nothing that Villa’s new signing cannot do… almost.

It is no secret that Villa need a set-piece taker who offers more from open play than Conor Hourihane, but Emi Buendia does not really fix that problem.

Buendia took nine direct free kicks last season and did not get a single one on target. He did take corners for the Canaries though, and his quality delivery makes him an option to do the same at Villa Park.

Something else to note is that Buendia’s defensive contribution is a double-edged sword, as the fiery midfielder has been sent off four times in his three seasons with Norwich City.

Buendia is no one-season wonder. He has proven himself consistently and developed every year.

In his debut season, he contributed 20 goals to Norwich’s promotion campaign and the football analysis site WhoScored.com gave Buendia a 7.39 rating, 4^th best out of all Championship players.

In the Premier League in 2019/20, he earned a 7.08 rating in a team that finished bottom of the table by a distance. His rating was 10^th best for all Premier League wingers and attacking midfielders. It is a better rating than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang received that season.

Then the explosion came last season. His career-best 7.78 WhoScored rating was easily the best in the Championship and illustrated his year-by-year improvement since arriving from Getafe.

Now 24 and ascending into the prime of his career, Buendia fits perfectly into the profile that the recruitment team at Villa Park have adhered to over the last two years.

The additions of Championship standouts Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash last summer brought instant success, and there is every reason to believe Emiliano Buendia will follow suit.