Unai Emery on Nicolas Jackson's Aston Villa Debut Against Arsenal
Unai Emery says Nicolas Jackson’s £47.5m switch from Chelsea should be sealed in time for the striker to make his Aston Villa debut against Arsenal on Monday – and has called the move the start of a “new chapter” for the club.
Jackson has been Emery’s first-choice target to step into the space left by Ollie Watkins, who has turned down a new deal at Villa Park in favour of a £50m move to Al‑Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. Neither transfer has been officially confirmed yet, but Jackson’s fee could climb to a club-record £65m with add-ons.
The change up front has come at an emotional cost. Emery admitted Watkins’s exit left him in tears and revealed the England forward apologised to the squad after refusing to play in last weekend’s 4-0 defeat at Brighton, a decision that meant Villa travelled without a recognised striker.
“I can tell you his commitment and his behaviour was fantastic always,” Emery said. “He told us after the match he was sorry and he told us that he made a mistake, that he was wrong. We accepted it, the players as well, because he always had very good behaviour and commitment with the club, with us and with me.
“For me, he is a fantastic guy, an even more fantastic guy than a player. I told him bye with a huge hug and a small tear but now it’s a new chapter here with Nicolas Jackson. A new chapter, we replace him and of course all the best to Watkins in Saudi. With Nicolas Jackson replacing him, we are of course happy.”
Watkins leaves as Villa’s record scorer in the Premier League era, with 91 goals in 221 league appearances, and Emery dismissed the idea that his refusal to play at Brighton will stain his reputation with supporters.
“The four years working with him have been a high-level relationship with him as a professional,” Emery added. “Last week I was a little bit disappointed. I was disappointed, but we spoke about it, and now clear. One mistake is not closing all the good things he did here. For the supporters as well. He is class, and I think it’s a legacy here.”
Attention now turns to Arsenal – and to a Villa side that looked a shadow of itself in that heavy loss at Brighton. Emery knows a repeat will not be tolerated if they are to avoid back-to-back defeats against the champions.
Leon Goretzka, signed from Bayern Munich on Thursday, is in contention to make his debut on Monday, while goalkeeper Zion Suzuki could also feature for the first time after his £30m move from Parma. Suzuki is lined up to replace Emiliano Martínez, who is close to completing a £7.5m transfer to Chelsea.
“Maybe we are not performing like we were performing but the objective is to get to the same way we did, the same performances we had,” Emery said. “We will need time. Last year we showed we needed time. On Monday we will see, [whether] we will need more time or if some players are progressing quickly.”
While Villa reshape their spine, Chelsea are braced for a frantic end to the window. As they close on Martínez, they are also exploring midfield options, with Monaco’s Lamine Camara among the names under consideration as they wait for Manchester City to finally make a formal move for Enzo Fernández.
City have yet to contact Chelsea over Fernández, who is desperate to leave before Tuesday night’s deadline. Chelsea are weighing up their response and have Camara on a shortlist that also features Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton. Camara, a Senegal international, is not viewed as a like-for-like replacement for Fernández but would bolster Xabi Alonso’s midfield should the Argentina international head to the Etihad.
Chelsea know Bournemouth are determined to keep Scott and have heard the same message from Palace over Wharton. Arsenal, for their part, are understood to have rejected an enquiry for Martín Zubimendi.
Talk around Fernández has circled the £106.7m mark, but Chelsea will only sanction a sale if their conditions are met. Sources have warned that City may have to go beyond the west London club’s initial £120m asking price for the 25-year-old.
Villa’s rebuild, Chelsea’s reshuffle, City’s pursuit – all of it now racing against the clock, with Arsenal’s visit to Villa Park the first real test of whether this “new chapter” starts with a statement or a stumble.
