Ever-improving Johan Manzambi embodies Aston Villa’s new direction after summer rebuild
The script writers were never going to let Johan Manzambi leave St James’ Park without making an impact. In another world, the Swiss winger would have joined Newcastle United in the summer. The Magpies chased Manzambi in the belief he would be perfect for the Premier League. They were right about that.
Indeed, Manzambi has hit the ground running in England’s top flight, registering four goal contributions in his last four league outings. Those outings haven’t been for Newcastle, though. Instead, Manzambi is an Aston Villa player and increasingly the embodiment of Unai Emery’s vision for his new-look side.
The summer transfer window could hardly have been any more disruptive for Villa. They lost key players such as Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Emi Martínez and Youri Tielemans to direct rivals as no fewer than six first team figures headed for the exit door. Emery was faced with the biggest rebuild of his Aston Villa career.
In their place, the likes of Nicolas Jackson, Ibrahim Mbaye, João Gomes, Zion Suzuki, Leon Goretzka and Taylor Harwood-Bellis arrived, but it’s Manzambi who has most thoroughly captured the imagination. The 21-year-old is exactly the sort of difference-maker Villa needed in the final third.
Manzambi is averaging more shots per 90 minutes than any other Aston Villa player this season while only Ross Barkley and John McGinn have created more chances. No Villa player has scored more goals or contributed more assists. Manzambi is thriving as an all-round attacking threat.
“He’s a good guy, he’s very professional, he loves, with passion, football. He wants to play in the way we are and the demand we have,” said Emery after Manzambi’s match-winning performance against Newcastle which saw the Swiss international score the only goal of the game against the team he might have joined instead.
“He decided to join us in summer because he understood here he can progress, he can as well have his own challenges and quality challenges to improving in his career as a player.” Emery’s words accurately reflect how quickly Manzambi has settled in his new surroundings since joining from Freiburg.
While Aston Villa’s summer rebuild might have been more comprehensive than Emery had originally envisaged, it presented an opportunity to retool the squad for the future. In the short term, Villa might fall back from the standard they have set for themselves in recent seasons, but their long term could be brighter for it.
Manzambi is a superstar in the making. He was one of the breakout stars of the 2026 World Cup, shining for a Switzerland side that came within a questionable refereeing decision or two of beating Argentina to reach the semi-finals. Manzambi didn’t begin the tournament as a starting figure, he certainly finished it as one.
Among the likes of Lamine Yamal, Jérémy Doku and Lionel Messi, Manzambi was up there as one of the World Cup’s most prolific dribblers. It was no wonder that several clubs lined up to sign the youngster whose natural ability to beat an opponent is so valuable at the elite level of the game.
Emery’s new-look Villa is a work in progress. Saturday’s away win over Newcastle improved their league standing, but 12th place isn’t where the Villa Park outfit wants to finish this season. With so many new players in the team, though, consistency might be difficult to find, especially with Champions League fixtures congesting the schedule.
Nonetheless, recent performances against Coventry City, Tottenham Hotspur, Fenerbahçe and Newcastle have offered a glimpse of an exciting future. The intensity in Villa’s performances have increased in recent weeks as Emery’s methods have started to take root. The improvement is undeniable.
It’s not just Manzambi who has impressed. Suzuki has settled in so quickly that the Japanese goalkeeper is being talked about as an upgrade on Martínez. Gomes has nailed down a starting spot as Villa’s first-choice number six-and-a-half in central midfield while Mbaye has started to show why he was so highly rated as a teenager at Paris Saint-Germain.
Jackson has also caught the eye of late, scoring four goals in his last four games. The Senegalese striker has a long way to reach the numbers Watkins achieved during his time as Aston Villa’s starting number nine, but Jackson might be an even better fit for Emery’s transition-heavy approach.
In Manzambi, though, Villa boast a talent on an upward trajectory that could take him to the very top. The Swiss winger is exactly the sort of player that could elevate Aston Villa to new heights now that Aston Villa’s early-season struggles are fading. His signing alone could make the summer rebuild worth it.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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