Matt Maher: Unai Emery's Champions League call has raised the stakes at Aston Villa
Unai Emery walked into Bodymoor Heath on Thursday morning knowing he was going to upset somebody.
A transfer window in which the boss admitted Villa had made more changes “than they wanted” had left him with a decision to make.
After signing five players, only three could be added to the club’s Champions League squad under Uefa rules, meaning two would miss out. One of the calls was far easier than the other.
Signed very much for his potential, 21-year-old Spanish right-back Andres Garcia is unlikely to see too much action when Emery has a full complement of players available. He was always favourite to be one of the two not picked for the Champions League.
The much bigger headache was which three of the more senior signings: Donyell Malen, Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi, to select.