Youri Tielemans’ move to Aston Villa on a free transfer hasn’t exactly gone according to plan. In fact, there are rumors swirling that Aston Villa might be looking to offload him as soon as they can. Of course, these rumors should be taken with a grain of salt.
Since joining Aston Villa, Tielemans has struggled to secure consistent game time, and he’s even had some heated conversations with the manager about it. Despite this rocky start, there’s still hope for Tielemans in his Villa career. He has proven his quality during his time with Leicester City, impressing on multiple occasions. However, it’s clear that Birmingham hasn’t made things easy for the 26-year-old.
Nevertheless, there are indications that Tielemans is starting to settle. Some social media posts with stats graphics have highlighted the effort he’s putting into making his transition to Villa Park a success.
During a recent interview on the Villa podcast Claret & Blue, one of the hosts, Mat Kendrick, shared his honest assessment of Tielemans’ performance. Kendrick delivered his verdict after Villa secured their first points in the Europa Conference League with a last-minute winner. This victory put all four teams in Group E on three points.
Kendrick acknowledged that Tielemans can seem a bit careless at times, giving the ball away too easily and delivering poor crosses into the penalty area. He also mentioned that it’s a challenge for Tielemans to find his rhythm without regular playing time in the Premier League. Despite these criticisms, Kendrick didn’t want to write off Tielemans completely. He recognized Tielemans’ impressive track record and noted that a few years ago, both Tielemans and Leander Dendoncker would have been regular starters in two strong Premier League teams, Leicester and Wolves.
However, Kendrick pointed out that when Tielemans is in the team alongside other midfielders like Douglas Luiz, Boubacar Kamara, and Jacob Ramsey, the play becomes stagnant and lacking in energy. Villa’s usual high-paced tempo is compromised. Kendrick believes that Tielemans is a much better player than what he has shown so far but expressed frustration with his performance in the recent match.
In conclusion, Tielemans’ time at Aston Villa hasn’t been smooth sailing, but there are promising signs that he’s starting to settle. Despite some criticisms, there is optimism that he can demonstrate his true potential in the future.
