From forgotten man to midfield maestro, how Emi Buendia is inspiring Aston Villa's Premier League title charge

Last season, Emi Buendia played just 89 minutes of Premier League football for Aston Villa, but now he is the focal point in their title-chasing midfield.

Against Newcastle United last Sunday, a game in which Villa were underdogs, the Argentine delivered the sweetest strike to send his side on their way to a crucial 2-0 victory.

Now just four points off the top of the table, the West Midlands club owe so much of their success to a player who many thought was finished at Villa Park.

But how did the 29-year-old turn his Aston Villa career around? DAZN News analyses the impact made by one of the division's most underrated players.

How injury and competition thwarted Emi Buendia

When the Villans signed Buendia from Norwich City in 2021, he was considered one of the best players the Championship had ever seen.

Converting that form to the Premier League is no easy task, but the midfielder quickly established himself as a first-team mainstay under Unai Emery and was influential in Villa reaching Europe in 2023.

Before he could kick a ball in the 2023-24 season, the Argentina international suffered a cruciate ligament tear that would see him sidelined for 328 days and 69 matches.

In his absence, Aston Villa flourished under Emery and achieved a top-four finish, reaching the Champions League for the first time in over 40 years.

With John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Youri Tielemans thriving in the hub of midfield, Buendia was a forgotten man, and upon his return in the 2024-25 campaign, there was only room on the bench.

A January loan to Bayer Leverkusen seemed to signal the end for the playmaker at Villa Park, but oh, how wrong we all were.

Buendia instrumental as Aston Villa chase Premier League title

If Villa were not so restricted in the summer transfer window, then Buendia may not even be donning the famous claret and blue anymore.

Of course, it is all speculation about what might have been, but the Villans' success has been even more remarkable when you consider they are almost entirely the same side as last season.

The Argentine has been like a new signing, but he had to dig in at the start of the campaign to remind Emery exactly why he is one of the best creative players in the division.

Buendia was an unused substitute in Aston Villa's lacklustre opening day draw with Newcastle, and his latest performance against the Magpies feels cathartic given the season he has enjoyed.

While the 29-year-old has endured spells as a substitute, he has been impactful in front of goal, bagging five goals and two assists in the Premier League, including the winner against Arsenal in December.

Morgan Rogers may be the one who grabs the headlines, but it should be the Buendia Renaissance fronting the tabloids.

What a difference a year makes.

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