How Villa won race for Buendia but lost out on Smith Rowe
Ambitious Midlands club face Arsenal tonight having gone into battle with them over the summer for two rising talents
Aston Villa’s ultimate goal is to be back competing in Europe, so when they beat Arsenal in the race to sign Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City this summer, it felt like a significant moment.
Villa secured a club record £33million deal for the playmaker, sneaking ahead of Arsenal, in a clear sign of their ambition and, perhaps, the north London club’s own position of vulnerability within the established “Big Six”. Yet it was Villa’s unsuccessful pursuit of Emile Smith Rowe, Arsenal’s homegrown attacking midfielder, which represents another intriguing subplot ahead of tonight’s match at the Emirates.
Arsenal are one of the clubs in Villa’s sights to overtake eventually, however unlikely that may seem at the moment after two successive defeats, and signing Smith Rowe would have proved a huge statement of intent. Backed by wealthy owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, Villa are chasing year-onyear progress and have spent almost £300million on players since promotion in 2019. Smith Rowe was out of reach, however, eventually signing a new contract, and he will line up against Buendia tonight with both players having points to prove.
Dean Smith, the Villa head coach, said yesterday: “There is a lot more to come from Emi, and he will be the first to say that. We all know the qualities he’s got, the pass that he put through for Danny Ings in the first half [against Wolves] is why he attracted us so much.”
The battle lines between these clubs were marked out when Villa moved for Buendia, their No1 summer target. Months of planning and analysis had gone into the profiling, led by sporting director Johan Lange, and Villa had to stretch to beat Arsenal to his signing. Determined to complete all their transfer business early in the summer, Villa moved for Buendia on June 3.
Stuart Webber, Norwich’s sporting director, was on a family holiday and conducting negotiations with Christian Purslow, the Villa chief executive, who was aggressive in his pursuit of the Argentina international. Norwich were impressed with Purslow’s professionalism and conduct during negotiations: in stark contrast to the talks when Everton signed Ben Godfrey. At that time, there was alleged frustration with Everton’s director of football, Marcel Brands, who it was felt talked down to Norwich as if they were a small club, while Villa were far more respectful.
When Arsenal made their interest known, Villa were well down the line. Arsenal’s negotiations were rather fractured due to the chain of command and the amount of other business they were planning.
For Arsenal, there was the added complication of their interest in
Martin Odegaard, another creative midfielder. The Norwegian was Arsenal’s top priority in the playmaking position, but at that early stage of the summer it was unclear whether they would be able to sign him on a permanent basis from Real Madrid. It was only in midaugust, more than two months after Buendia had joined Villa, that Arsenal were able to conclude their move for Odegaard, who had spent the second half of last season on loan at the Emirates.
Villa eventually agreed an initial £33 million fee for Buendia, which will rise to £38million after instalments, and Arsenal were ultimately unwilling to match the wages – reputed to be more than £70,000 a week – on offer. The role of former Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who shares an agent with Buendia, was
also crucial in persuading him to join. At the time, Arsenal fans were frustrated at missing out. Villa were not finished, however. Smith Rowe was another priority target and they were encouraged by the delay over him signing a new deal. It is understood Villa envisaged Smith Rowe playing in a front three alongside Buendia and Ollie Watkins, with Jack Grealish operating as a No10 behind them.
Too many times last season Smith was frustrated with attacking moves breaking down on the wings or in areas in front of Watkins, so those positions were seen as crucial. Villa made two bids, of £25 million and £30million, but Arsenal never considered selling. There was considerable surprise in the Arsenal hierarchy when the first offer was made, and even more surprise when a second came in soon afterwards. Both were rejected, with Smith Rowe not available for any price. Arteta made that abundantly clear, before Smith Rowe’s new contract had been finalised, by saying he would “100 per cent” be staying. Within a few days, Smith Rowe formally committed to a new fiveyear deal. The 21-year-old has started seven of Arsenal’s eight league games, and has been one of their most consistent performers. Buendia has struggled at times, often being named on the bench, and it was arguably his best performance in the chaotic 3-2 defeat by Wolves. He can be a spiky character, but Villa believe he will underline why they smashed their transfer record for him.
Purslow was aggressive in his pursuit however impressed Norwich with his professionalism