Marco Asensio was pestered over the phone by Unai Emery throughout the January transfer window before finally agreeing to up sticks in Paris and relocate to Birmingham. Asensio was an eye-catching addition to Aston Villa’s squad towards the end of the transfer window as he joined on loan from PSG for the remainder of this season.

The playmaker made an impressive debut with a cameo appearance from the bench in the FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend and he is in line to feature against Ipswich Town on Saturday as Villa look to press on with their efforts to secure a second successive top four finish. Asensio, along with Marcus Rashford and Axel Disasi, has arrived to beef up the options right through Emery’s squad and improve the collective quality across the pitch. For the Spaniard, formerly of Real Madrid, this is an entirely new experience and at 29, it was a big decision for Asensio at arguably the peak of his career. I spoke with Unai so many times, he transmitted lots of things to me – like how the coaching staff work, how the boys are, what Villa Park is like,” Asensio told Mirror Football. “He told me the faith he had in the club and what he’s creating.

“I knew people from his coaching staff. Everywhere they have been, they have had success. Throughout football they are recognised for developing and improving players. And the project that the club has is incredible. That’s one of the things that attracted me.

“I could have come here one year ago. It’s been in my mind since then because I know it’s a winning team, and the plan is to aim high and win titles. It was an opportunity. I’ve always wanted to play in the Premier League. So, why not?”

Asensio has been chased by Villa and Emery since the summer of 2023, after they’d secured Europa Conference League football; on that occasion, they missed out on the midfielder, who was then still in Madrid, when he decided to make the switch to the French capital instead.