Ahead of Aston Villa’s Europa Conference League match against Legia Warsaw, Youri Tielemans has expressed his growing comfort at his new club. The Belgian midfielder, who spent several successful seasons at Leicester City, finally feels settled at Villa after nearly six months.
Tielemans joined Leicester initially on loan from Monaco and became a key player, making 195 appearances. However, when Leicester was relegated, his contract expired, making him a free agent. Astonishingly, he made the unexpected decision to join Villa just weeks later. It wasn’t until recently that he earned his first Premier League start under manager Unai Emery. There were rumors circulating in Europe that Tielemans was dissatisfied with his initial performances at Villa.
Yet, it turns out Emery was giving him more time to adapt to his new role on the pitch. Tielemans struggled during Villa’s defeats to Legia Warsaw and Zrinjski Mostar but showed significant improvement in the 4-1 victory over AZ Alkmaar, scoring a goal. Since then, he has become a more influential player, even assisting in Villa’s recent win against Tottenham.
During a press conference before the Legia Warsaw match, Tielemans spoke about his evolving understanding of his position in the team: “The more I play in this team, the better I understand my role. Whether I play higher up or as a central midfielder, I know I have the skills for both positions. It doesn’t matter to me.”
He emphasized that his confidence never wavered and that his recent string of good performances has motivated him to continue on this positive trajectory. Despite changing clubs, Tielemans remains the same player, eager to make an impact on the pitch. He cited Villa’s potential as a club and their impressive performances last year as factors that drew him to the team.
“I signed with Aston Villa because I believed in the team and the club’s upward trajectory. Last year’s performances, especially under this manager, were outstanding. Securing European football was a positive sign, and it reinforced my decision to join,” Tielemans explained.
Overall, Tielemans is happy with his current situation at Aston Villa and aims to maintain his positive form in the coming matches.
