Aston Villa's Search for Right-Back: Aaron Wan-Bissaka Targeted

Unai Emery has drawn a thick red circle around one position this summer: right-back.

Aston Villa’s head coach wants a squad that can absorb the strain of Champions League nights, domestic cups and a demanding Premier League schedule. To get there, he believes Matty Cash needs serious competition, not just cover. That search has led Villa to one standout name on their shortlist, as reported by The Athletic: Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

At 28, Wan-Bissaka brings something Emery craves from his backline – defensive steel and tactical discipline. His one-on-one defending has long been regarded as elite, and Villa see that profile as a perfect fit for a coach who regularly tweaks shape and structure mid-game. Emery wants full-backs who can lock down a flank and still adapt to different systems. Wan-Bissaka ticks that box.

Villa’s focus on the position has sharpened after early moves in the window fell apart. A push for Emerson Royal, now at Flamengo and formerly of Tottenham Hotspur, never got over the line. With that avenue closed, the recruitment team shifted quickly, still determined to arm Emery with the depth required for a Champions League campaign. After last season’s Europa League triumph and a fourth-place Premier League finish, the bar has been raised. So has the expectation around every signing.

The situation at West Ham United has opened a door. Relegation to the Championship, their first drop to the second tier since the 2011-12 season, has changed the financial and sporting landscape in east London. The Hammers are understood to be open to letting Wan-Bissaka go, aware that a high-value, long-contract defender might not fit a year in the second division.

Wan-Bissaka made 27 appearances in all competitions for West Ham last season, chipping in with three assists. On paper, that looks like a solid contribution. On the pitch, though, his influence faded when it mattered most. He started only two of West Ham’s final seven games of the campaign, often watching on as Kyle Walker-Peters took his place in the XI. For a player who arrived with big expectations, it marked a clear shift in status.

Any deal will not be cheap. Wan-Bissaka’s contract at the London Stadium runs until 2031, the result of a seven-year agreement signed when he joined from Manchester United in a £15 million transfer. That length gives West Ham leverage, but relegation and the player’s reduced minutes add a different kind of pressure. For Wan-Bissaka, a move to a Champions League club would represent a sharp turn in fortune after a stuttering end to last season.

His club form may have dipped, but his international standing has not. Wan-Bissaka remains a cornerstone for DR Congo. He started all four of their matches at this summer’s World Cup, delivering a series of performances that impressed watching scouts. Those displays reminded everyone why he once carried a reputation as one of Europe’s standout defensive full-backs.

That reputation was forged at Old Trafford. Across five seasons with Manchester United, Wan-Bissaka made 190 appearances and became a reliable presence in high-pressure fixtures. He played his part in United’s recent silverware, helping the club lift the EFL Cup in 2022-23 and the FA Cup in 2023-24. Those nights underlined his ability to operate at the sharp end of elite competition.

Now, the equation is simple. Villa want a right-back who can handle Champions League intensity and Premier League ambition. West Ham need to reshape a relegated squad. Wan-Bissaka stands between those two realities, his next move likely to define the prime years of his career.