Aston Villa Targets Aaron Wan-Bissaka for Right-Back Position
Unai Emery has made his mind up. If Aston Villa are going to live comfortably among Europe’s elite next season, the right-back position cannot stay as it is.
The Spaniard has flagged that side of his defence as a priority area this summer, and Villa’s recruitment team has moved with purpose. Matty Cash remains the current first-choice, but Emery wants serious competition, not just cover. On their shortlist, one name now sits near the top: Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
According to The Athletic, the 28-year-old West Ham United defender has emerged as a leading target, his defensive steel viewed as tailor-made for Emery’s demanding, shape-shifting backline. Villa want full-backs who can defend one-on-one, tuck inside, and survive long spells without the ball. Wan-Bissaka has built his reputation doing exactly that.
Villa turn to Wan-Bissaka after early setbacks
Villa’s interest has hardened after other moves for a right-back fell away in the early weeks of the window. A deal for Flamengo’s Emerson Royal, the former Tottenham Hotspur defender, never got close enough to completion, forcing Villa to look elsewhere.
The stakes are clear. Emery is building a squad to handle the strain of Champions League football, on top of defending last season’s Europa League crown and backing up a superb fourth-place finish in the Premier League. Depth is no luxury; it is non-negotiable.
That context has pushed Wan-Bissaka into sharp focus. He offers Premier League know-how, European experience and, crucially, a profile that fits Emery’s defensive blueprint.
West Ham’s relegation opens the door
On the other side of the equation sits a club dealing with an abrupt fall. West Ham’s relegation to the Championship has changed the landscape. For the first time since the 2011-12 season, the east London side face a second-tier campaign, and with that comes financial and squad recalibration.
The Hammers are understood to be open to sanctioning Wan-Bissaka’s departure. He featured 27 times in all competitions last season, chipping in with three assists, but his status slipped as the campaign wore on.
The pressure of a relegation fight, the need to reshape the wage bill and the reality of Championship football have all combined to make a sale more palatable.
From starter to the bench – and a possible reset
For Wan-Bissaka, a move to Villa Park would represent a sharp upturn in circumstances. Despite his pedigree, he struggled for consistent minutes in the run-in. He started only two of West Ham’s final seven matches, often watching on as Kyle Walker-Peters got the nod ahead of him.
That shift in the pecking order comes despite the long-term commitment West Ham made when they signed him from Manchester United. Wan-Bissaka penned a seven-year deal on arrival in a £15 million move, tying him to the London Stadium until 2031.
Any transfer will not come cheap, but the combination of his contract length, West Ham’s new reality and Villa’s need for proven quality at right-back has created a narrow window of opportunity.
International form and Old Trafford pedigree
While West Ham slid out of the top flight, Wan-Bissaka’s stock on the international stage held firm. He started all four of DR Congo’s matches at this summer’s World Cup, delivering a string of eye-catching displays that drew scouts from across Europe.
Those performances served as a reminder of what he once showed regularly at Old Trafford. During five seasons with Manchester United, Wan-Bissaka made 190 appearances and carved out a reputation as one of Europe’s most reliable one-on-one defenders.
He was not just a squad player there, either. He played his part in United’s recent trophy wins, lifting the EFL Cup in 2022-23 and the FA Cup in 2023-24 as part of successful cup squads.
Now, with Villa rising and West Ham resetting in the Championship, the question is simple: does Emery see Wan-Bissaka as the final piece of his defensive puzzle, or the first of several bold moves to turn Villa into a Champions League regular?
