Aston Villa’s recruitment over the last few seasons has tended to be spot on, as highlighted by the fact that they’re pushing for Champions League football this season.
Ollie Watkins, Boubacar Kamara, and Douglas Luiz are all prime examples of exceptional scouting.
Before making their Villa debuts, none of the aforementioned players were well-known, and the club almost never overpays for talent.
But for every hit, there will always be a miss or two, with one player in particular not living up to the hype.
Prior to joining Villa Emiliano Buendia began his professional career as a junior player at Getafe in Spain. He later went on loan to Liga 2 team Cultural Leonesa, where he established himself.
The club were ultimately relegated that season, but it didn’t stop the Argentine from shining, as he netted six goals and provided 13 assists. His performances caught the eye of Norwich City, the club he went on to join straight from his loan for just over £1m.
But Norwich was immediately demoted to the Championship, and the attacking star showed that he was much too excellent for the league by amassing 15 goals and 16 assists in the 2020–21 campaign.
During Buendia’s stay in Villa Park
Many Premier League teams wanted to buy the magician after his incredible year, but Villa ended up outbidding Arsenal for the £35 million deal.
However, the Argentine’s start to life at Villa Park didn’t begin with a bang, despite scoring against Brentford on his third start for the club. During his first campaign, Buendia would go on to play 35 matches, scoring four goals and registering six assists in the league, while only playing 55 minutes per game on average.
Despite this, the versatile attacker pretty much held his estimated market value from when he signed, only dropping around £3m.
