Aston Villa Targets Aaron Wan-Bissaka for Right-Back Position
Unai Emery has circled one position in red ink this summer: right-back.
With Aston Villa preparing for the demands of Champions League football on top of domestic commitments, the manager wants sharper depth and serious competition for Matty Cash. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, according to reports from The Athletic, has moved to the top of Villa’s list.
At 28, Wan-Bissaka brings something Emery values deeply — defensive steel and tactical discipline. His reputation as an elite one‑on‑one defender fits the kind of adaptable, aggressive backline the Spaniard has built in Birmingham. Villa’s interest has hardened after other plans fell away earlier in the window.
A move for Flamengo’s Emerson Royal, formerly of Tottenham, never got off the ground. That deal stalling forced Villa’s recruitment team to look elsewhere, and the search has led them back to the Premier League, to a player whose career now sits at a crossroads.
Wan-Bissaka’s West Ham reality
West Ham United’s relegation has changed the landscape. Dropping into the Championship for the first time since the 2011-12 season has pushed the east London club into a difficult financial and sporting corner, and they are understood to be open to letting Wan-Bissaka go.
He featured 27 times in all competitions last season, chipping in with three assists, but his influence faded when it mattered most. As the campaign reached its decisive weeks, his starting spot slipped away. He began only two of West Ham’s final seven matches, often watching Kyle Walker-Peters take his place in the XI.
For a player tied down until 2031 on a seven-year contract signed after his £15 million move from Manchester United, it is a stark shift. The fee West Ham now demand reflects both that long deal and his pedigree, yet the transfer would still feel like a rescue act for a defender whose minutes dried up at club level.
European stage, international form
While West Ham’s season unravelled, Wan-Bissaka’s status with DR Congo moved in the opposite direction. He started all four of their matches at this summer’s World Cup, turning in the kind of commanding, front-foot defensive displays that first made his name. Those performances drew scouts from across Europe and reminded potential buyers of his ceiling.
Villa, fresh from a Europa League triumph and a fourth-place Premier League finish, want players who can handle that kind of stage. Emery’s side will not just be making up the numbers in the Champions League; the recruitment drive is built around sustaining a challenge on multiple fronts.
Old Trafford pedigree, new chapter?
Before his stint at the London Stadium, Wan-Bissaka carved out a reputation at Manchester United as one of Europe’s most reliable one-on-one defenders. Over five seasons at Old Trafford, he amassed 190 appearances and played a key part in squads that lifted the EFL Cup in 2022-23 and the FA Cup in 2023-24.
That track record, combined with his international form, explains why Villa see him as more than just cover for Cash. Emery wants two starters in every position, not a clear first-choice and a distant understudy.
If Villa can strike a deal with a relegated West Ham side under pressure to reshape, Wan-Bissaka’s move would mark a sharp turn in his fortunes: from the fringes of a Championship-bound squad to the heart of a team stepping back into Europe’s elite.
For a defender whose game is built on timing and anticipation, the question now is simple: does he seize this opening before it closes?
