Kevin Phillips says Emi Buendia hasn’t ‘lived up’ to transfer fee

Emiliano Buendia finished the season on a high, scoring two goals with two assists in his last six Premier League appearances, but his whole debut season at Aston Villa was inconsistent.

The 25-year-old was a regular under Dean Smith and consistently played under Steven Gerrard (35/38 Premier League appearances in 2021/22), but Buendia flattered to deceive.

Villa paid £34.6m to sign the Argentine international last summer off the back of him scoring 15 goals with 17 assists from 39 Championship games at Norwich City, but he wasn’t as prolific in the top-flight.

The 25-year-old is Villa’s most expensive signing but didn’t come into his stride until his debut season was almost over. Kevin Phillips conceded that Buendia is talented, but he believes the price tag weighed heavily on him.

Phillips told Football Insider: “Buendia is a good player, there’s no doubt. But I think he’s been a victim of his price tag this season. He’s not quite lived up to that big fee.”

Buendia scored four goals and made six assists in 35 league games, but he netted just one goal before January 2022 and failed to register an assist in his first seven outings.

The 25-year-old has shown promise, however, after a strong end to the season, so Gerrard will be hoping he can pick up where he left off.  

In other news, James Tarkowski is major upgrade on Kortney Hause