While Aston Villa have not made a significant move in terms of a major signing that many supporters are looking for, there are, in effect, new players that are being introduced to the squad.
Emiliano Buendía is an example of someone who essentially functions as a new signing for Villa. Having spent this past season at Bayer Leverkusen, the attacker now appears ready to fight for a spot in the rotation of Unai Emery.
Buendía can offer Villa some much-needed versatility. Even if he sees limited action early on, depending on what happens, the Argentine could foreseeably see himself in a position in several areas on the pitch.
So far during the preseason, Buendía has done what he needs to do. He is looking like a good fit with the current cast and is demonstrating a good knowledge base of the system and what is being asked of him at the moment.
Potential options down the road from Aston Villa's perspective
There are some among the Villa supporters who want to see the club move on from Buendía. If it comes down to it, certainly Monchi and Emery will not be hesitant to move on from Buendía. This would be especially true if an option comes to bring on someone new. Particularly with SCR, the Argentine could end up seeing himself on the outside if it means keeping with the guidelines that require Villa to be net-neutral when it comes to wages.
Until that time comes, however, watching Buendía compete and put his best foot forward benefits everyone, and he should be lauded for making the most of a situation that looked like he would be on his way out of the club. It remains to be seen what the exact nature of his role will be for the 2025-2026 campaign. Still, until official news comes of Villa moving on, Buendía continues to show that he belongs in B6.