Unai Emery Prepares for New Chapter with Nicolas Jackson at Aston Villa
Unai Emery wipes away a tear, then turns the page. Aston Villa do the same.
The Basque coach expects Nicolas Jackson to complete his £47.5m move from Chelsea in time to face Arsenal on Monday night, a signing he believes will usher in what he called a “new chapter” for the club. The fee could climb to a club‑record £65m with add‑ons, underlining how central Jackson is to Emery’s rebuild.
He has to be. He is walking straight into the space vacated by Ollie Watkins.
Watkins era ends in tears – and an apology
Watkins, Villa’s record Premier League goalscorer with 91 goals in 221 league appearances, has turned down a new contract and is heading for a £50m move to Al‑Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. Neither transfer has been formally confirmed, but the emotional fallout in Birmingham is already real.
Emery did not hide it. Watkins’s exit, he admitted, reduced him to tears. The England striker also left his manager and teammates short in more ways than one last weekend, refusing to play in the 4-0 defeat at Brighton and leaving Villa without a recognised striker.
Yet inside the dressing room, the bridges were rebuilt quickly.
“I can tell you his commitment and his behaviour was fantastic always,” Emery said, explaining that Watkins addressed the squad after the loss. The forward apologised, accepted he had made a mistake, and the group moved on. Emery stressed that the striker’s track record of professionalism counted for more than one act of rebellion.
“For me, he is a fantastic guy, an even more fantastic a guy than a player,” the manager said. He described a farewell marked by “a huge hug and a small tear” before turning his gaze to the future. “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.”
Legacy intact, standards raised
The manner of Watkins’s departure might have soured relationships at other clubs. Emery would not allow that narrative to take hold. He insisted one bad decision should not stain four years of service.
“The four years working with him have been a high-level relationship with him as a professional,” he said. “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.”
That legacy now becomes the benchmark for Jackson. The Senegal international arrives with a hefty price tag, a big shirt to fill and the expectation that he can keep Villa in the Champions League conversation. There will be no gentle bedding-in period if the paperwork lands in time. Arsenal, the champions, are first up.
Arsenal test looms as Villa reset
The 4-0 collapse at Brighton still stings. Emery knows a repeat against Arsenal would be brutal. He also knows this is a team in transition, and he is asking for patience while demanding urgency.
“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,” he 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.”
New faces will help shape that answer. Leon Goretzka, signed from Bayern Munich on Thursday, could make his debut in midfield, bringing authority and experience. In goal, Zion Suzuki is in line for his first appearance after a £30m move from Parma, with Emiliano Martínez close to a £7.5m switch to Chelsea.
The spine of Emery’s side is being rewritten in a single window. Arsenal arrive at precisely the moment Villa are trying to remember who they are.
Chelsea juggle exits and arrivals
While Villa brace for Arsenal, Chelsea are racing the clock. As they edge towards a deal for Martínez, their midfield remains the subject of intense manoeuvring.
Manchester City have yet to submit an official offer for Enzo Fernández, but the Argentina international is desperate to leave before Tuesday night’s deadline. Chelsea are holding their line: he goes only on their terms, and those terms are steep. Figures around £106.7m have been floated, but sources suggest City may have to go beyond Chelsea’s initial £120m asking price for the 25‑year‑old.
Chelsea, wary of being caught short in midfield, have drawn up a shortlist. Lamine Camara of Monaco features prominently, alongside Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton. Camara is not viewed as a like-for-like replacement for Fernández, more a piece to deepen Xabi Alonso’s options should the World Cup winner head to the Etihad.
The market is resisting. Bournemouth have made clear they do not want to lose Scott. Palace have sent the same message on Wharton. Arsenal, for their part, are understood to have rejected an enquiry for Martín Zubimendi.
So Chelsea wait. For City to move on Fernández. For selling clubs to soften. For Martínez to complete his switch from Villa and join a squad that could look very different by the time the window slams shut.
At Villa Park, there is less waiting and more confronting. Watkins is gone. Jackson is almost in. Arsenal are coming. Emery has his new chapter; the question now is how quickly his players can start writing it.
