Aston Villa Targets Aaron Wan-Bissaka for Right-Back Position
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 another tilt at the Premier League’s top four. To get there, he believes he needs serious competition for Matty Cash. On the club’s shortlist, one name now sits near the top – Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
According to The Athletic, the 28-year-old West Ham United defender has emerged as a leading target, viewed inside Villa as a near-perfect fit for Emery’s demanding, shape-shifting back line. His reputation as an elite one-on-one defender has never really dimmed, even as his club fortunes have dipped.
Villa reset their right-back hunt
Villa’s move towards Wan-Bissaka comes after other plans stalled. Early in the window, the recruitment team pushed for a deal for Emerson Royal, the Flamengo full-back and former Tottenham Hotspur defender. That pursuit fizzled out, forcing a rethink at Bodymoor Heath.
The objective has not changed. Fresh from last season’s Europa League triumph and a fourth-place Premier League finish, Villa now step into the Champions League and need depth to match the stage. Emery wants full-backs who can lock down their flank, slide into back threes, and still cope with the tempo of European football. Wan-Bissaka, with his recovery pace and timing in the tackle, ticks those boxes.
West Ham’s relegation opens a door
On the other side of the equation sits a club in flux. West Ham’s relegation to the Championship has altered the landscape in east London. For the first time since the 2011-12 season, the Hammers are preparing for second-tier football, and that reality is forcing difficult decisions on senior players.
Wan-Bissaka is one of them. West Ham are understood to be open to a sale, even with the defender under contract until 2031 after signing a seven-year deal when he joined from Manchester United in a £15 million move. He made 27 appearances in all competitions last season and chipped in with three assists, but his role faded when it mattered most.
Across West Ham’s final seven league matches, he started only twice. Kyle Walker-Peters increasingly got the nod, leaving Wan-Bissaka watching from the bench as the club slid towards the drop. A transfer now would mark a sharp change in trajectory – from a relegated side and reduced minutes to a Champions League campaign and a manager who prizes his defensive strengths.
The fee will not be small. Even so, Villa see value in a player entering his prime years, with Premier League know-how and a history of handling high-pressure fixtures.
International form and Old Trafford pedigree
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 performances that drew attention from scouts in the stands and reminded everyone why he once carried such a formidable reputation in Europe.
Those roots lie at Old Trafford. During five seasons with Manchester United, Wan-Bissaka built his name as one of the continent’s most reliable one-v-one defenders. He racked up 190 appearances for United and played his part in a squad that collected silverware, lifting the EFL Cup in 2022-23 and the FA Cup in 2023-24.
That blend of big-club experience, trophy-winning pedigree and defensive steel is exactly what Emery wants on the flanks of a team now expected to compete with Europe’s elite.
If Villa push this deal over the line, Wan-Bissaka’s next tackle might not be about survival in the bottom three, but about keeping Kylian Mbappé and company quiet under Champions League floodlights.
