Bienvenido a Aston Villa, Emi Buendia!

Aston Villa fans have once again moved their attention away from post-match statistics and injury news to tracking every transfer rumors and panicking when the official club Twitter account removes it’s pinned tweet. Transfer season is upon us!

The business Villa have done thus far will be difficult to beat also — the announcement that Villa and Norwich City had agreed a club record fee for Emiliano Buendia has made the prospect of facing Dean Smith’s men next season quite frightening.

Photo by George Wood/Getty Images

In the 2019/20 Premier League season, Buendia was seventh in the league for shot creating actions (SCA) with 136. This was made all the more impressive when you consider the squad he was a part of as Norwich finished rock bottom that season with 21 points.

Buendia was amongst the best in the league with just a fraction of the quality surrounding him, much like Jack Grealish in the 2019/20 season. Grealish finished second in the league with 186 shot creating actions. While both finished above the likes of Mohamed Salah (129 SCA), Mason Mount (117 SCA), and David Silva (112 SCA).

Buendia was ranked sixth in key passes with 79. The next player amongst relegated teams in this statistic is Watford’s Gerard Deulofeu, who was ranked 26^th. Buendia would not be out of place in any squad within the Premier League and it is safe to say Villa have bought an absolute gem.

They are pairing two of the most creative players from the 2019/20 Premier League season in Grealish and Buendia. Grealish excelled with improved quality around him and we should expect Buendia to do the same.

The move arguably should have been completed before this transfer window, after the Argentine recorded 15 goals and 15 assists in the Championship this season; it was clear to see he was destined to be a Premier League player for years to come.

It may come as a shock to some fans that Norwich would consider selling arguably the best player to ever pull on the green and yellow shirt, as some fans have labelled him after the news broke. However, the project offered to him by the Villa owners clearly excites not only the fans, but players of the highest quality as well.

An underrated aspect of Buendia’s game could be how hard he works defensively — with 64 tackles won in the Championship this season, he led the team in this statistic. At times this season, the defensive effort of Bertrand Traore has been an issue on the right wing. The pairing of Buendia and Matty Cash would see not only a vast amount of attacking flair, but also a resilient defensive display.

At £33 million, he is a player worthy of the club record title. The move benefits both him and Villa massively. Villa are doing their business early and surely are not done yet. With rumors circulating regarding James Ward-Prowse and many others, Villa have cash to spend and are not wasting time doing it.

It is an exciting time to be a Villa fan. If the ex-European Super League teams weren’t already worried other clubs could breaking into the Champions League spots, they should be now!