Aston Villa's Right-Back Upgrade: Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the Radar

Unai Emery has made his mind up. If Aston Villa are going to live with the demands of Champions League football and another deep run in Europe, the right side of his defence has to be upgraded.

The right‑back slot is high on his summer to-do list. Matty Cash remains the current first choice, but Emery wants genuine, high-end competition, not just cover. That search has pushed Aaron Wan-Bissaka to the top of Villa’s shortlist, with the 28-year-old viewed inside the club as an ideal fit for the tactical tweaks and defensive discipline Emery demands from his back line.

Villa reset after early misses

Villa’s move comes after other attempts to strengthen the position stalled earlier in the window. A deal for Emerson Royal, now at Flamengo and formerly of Tottenham Hotspur, never came together, forcing Villa’s recruitment team to quickly change course and re-examine their options.

The stakes are obvious. Villa are building from a position of strength: Europa League winners last season, a fourth-place finish in the Premier League, and Champions League football now on the horizon. Emery wants depth and quality in every position. Right-back is no exception.

Wan-Bissaka’s profile ticks several of the boxes. His reputation as one of the Premier League’s standout one-on-one defenders dates back to his Manchester United days, and that defensive edge is exactly what appeals to Emery as he looks for a full-back who can shut down counters and adapt to different systems.

West Ham’s relegation changes the picture

Circumstances at West Ham United have opened a door. Relegation to the Championship has dragged the east London club into their first second-tier campaign since 2011-12, and key decisions now loom over their highest-value players.

Wan-Bissaka is one of them. The Hammers are understood to be willing to sanction his departure despite the sizeable valuation attached to a player tied to the London Stadium until 2031, after he signed a seven-year deal when he arrived from Manchester United in a £15 million move.

He featured 27 times in all competitions for West Ham last season and chipped in with three assists, but his influence faded when it mattered most. Across the final seven league matches, he started only twice, losing his place to Kyle Walker-Peters as the campaign slipped away.

For Wan-Bissaka, a transfer would mark a sharp turn in his fortunes: from a relegated side and a reduced role to a Champions League outfit hunting for defensive reliability.

International stock stays high

While West Ham struggled, Wan-Bissaka’s standing with DR Congo held firm. He started all four of their matches at this summer’s World Cup, delivering a series of strong displays that drew attention from scouts tracking defensive options at the tournament.

Those performances served as a reminder of the player he had been at Old Trafford. During five seasons with Manchester United, Wan-Bissaka made 190 appearances and carved out a reputation as one of Europe’s most dependable one-on-one defenders. He played a central part in squads that lifted the EFL Cup in 2022-23 and the FA Cup in 2023-24, adding medals to his résumé and experience of high-pressure occasions.

Now, with Villa hunting upgrades and West Ham reshaping after relegation, the path is there for a move that would test whether Wan-Bissaka can once again anchor the right flank of a team aiming for the very top.