Week after week they would take a seat in the stands in Premier League Stadiums. Scouts from Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool, not to mention the elite of European football, all of whom keep an eye on the no. 8 of Leicester City.
One by one they have submitted their reports and passed their clubs one by one. Not even when you had taken Tielemans his contract at the King Power Stadium and was available on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.
Instead of concentrating on his strengths, they were worried about his weaknesses – the classic recruitment error. The relative lack of pace and mobility of Tielemans concerned them, and they feared that he did not score enough goals.
Nevertheless, Unai Emery saw these details beyond these details and took Aston Villa to give Tielemans a four-year contract worth around £ 200,000 a week value, he immediately made one of the best earners of the club. After he had met Tielemans in his house in the Leicestershire countryside, Emery asked a series of questions that were designed to understand the player but also the person. He left for sure that the ambition of Tielemans agreed.
When Emery speaks with potential goals, he will store his laptop and show different clips of their games. He will say 'I need you to do this' when showing what and 'don't do this' when showing others. Tielemans loved the idea of playing closer to the attackers and working on various points of Villas midfield 'box'.
At first glance it was a big salary for a player whose goal and assistant numbers were modest. However, do not forget that Villa did not pay any compensation for Tielemans, so it was normal for his representatives to demand high wages. Moreover, Emery was willing to look beyond those superficial statistics.
After a steadily first season, Tielemans, together with Morgan Rogers, has been the excellent player of Villa this period. Although the shape of the team is fluctuating, he certainly does not have that.
Tielemans keeps Villa's motor ticking. He scores high across the board in Opta's Premier League-Passagramme-two for passes in the last third, fourth for progressive steps and balls and ninth for important passes.
In addition to the statistics, however, he offers the kind of modest leadership that this team needs. Tielemans may not be as vocal as Emiliano Martinez or Tyrone Mings, but he sets a good example on and next to the field.
He also has the experience at the highest level that Villa needs. He made his Champions League debut for Andershecht at the age of 16 and has now made 29 performances in the European Premier Club competition. He has 74 caps for Belgium and his winning goal for Leicester against Chelsea in the FA Cup final of 2021 was one of the most memorable at Wembley of recent times.
The 27-year-old is meticulous about his diet and preparation and eats regular parts of oily fish to relieve the tension on his joints.
Emery demands that his players spend at least 70 percent of their awake lives focused on football. In addition to his young family, Tielemans devotes his time to little else. No wonder he missed a Premier League, Champions League of FA Cupmarature for Villa this season – and he also started every game.
Tielemans becomes 28 in May and although he has many kilometers on the clock, he has proven a great investment.
Conversations about a new contract must follow before the end of the year and, since Villa is considering an exciting end of the season with a Champions League advantage compared to Clubbrugge to defend next week in the second stage, a race for the top five in the competition and a quarter finals in the store, some of those scouts have to kick themselves.
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