Unai Emery Discusses Nicolas Jackson's Transfer to Aston Villa

Unai Emery says Nicolas Jackson’s £47.5m move from Chelsea is on track in time for the striker to make his Aston Villa debut against Arsenal on Monday – and has called the transfer the start of a “new chapter” for the club.

Jackson has been Emery’s first-choice target to replace Ollie Watkins, who turned down a new contract to push through a £50m move to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. Neither transfer has been formally announced yet, but Jackson’s fee could climb to a club-record £65m with add-ons.

Watkins’s exit has clearly hit Emery hard. The Villa manager admitted the England forward’s departure reduced him to tears and revealed Watkins apologised to the squad after refusing to play in last weekend’s 4-0 defeat at Brighton, a decision that left Villa without a recognised striker.

“I can tell you his commitment and his behaviour was fantastic always,” Emery said. “He told us after the match he was sorry and he told us that he made a mistake, that he was wrong. We accepted it, the players as well, because he always had very good behaviour and commitment with the club, with us and with me.

“For me, he is a fantastic guy, an even more fantastic a guy than a player. I told him bye with a huge hug and a small tear but now it’s a new chapter here with Nicolas Jackson. A new chapter, we replace him and of course all the best to Watkins in Saudi. With Nicolas Jackson replacing him, we are of course happy.”

Watkins leaves as Villa’s record Premier League goalscorer, with 91 goals in 221 league appearances, and Emery pushed back at any suggestion that the manner of his exit will stain that legacy.

“The four years working with him have been a high-level relationship with him as a professional,” Emery said. “Last week I was a little bit disappointed. I was disappointed, but we spoke about it, and now clear. One mistake is not closing all the good things he did here. For the supporters as well. He is class, and I think it’s a legacy here.”

Attention now turns to Arsenal and the need for a reaction. Villa were dismantled at Brighton and Emery knows a repeat performance against the champions would invite a second straight defeat.

Leon Goretzka, signed from Bayern Munich on Thursday, is in contention to feature against Arsenal, while goalkeeper Zion Suzuki could also make his first appearance following his £30m move from Parma. Suzuki is expected to take over from Emiliano Martínez, who is close to sealing a £7.5m switch to Chelsea.

“Maybe we are not performing like we were performing but the objective is to get to the same way we did, the same performances we had,” Emery said. “We will need time. Last year we showed we needed time. On Monday we will see, [whether] we will need more time or if some players are progressing quickly.”

Chelsea, meanwhile, are braced for a frantic finish to the window. As they move towards completing a deal for Martínez, the club have also explored a move for Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara while they wait for Manchester City to make their first formal offer for Enzo Fernández.

City have yet to contact Chelsea over Fernández, who is desperate to leave before Tuesday night’s deadline. Chelsea are weighing up their midfield options and have Camara on a shortlist that also includes Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton. The Senegal international is not viewed as a direct replacement for Fernández but would bolster Xabi Alonso’s midfield if the Argentina international heads to the champions.

Chelsea know Bournemouth are determined to keep Scott and have received similar messages from Palace over Wharton. Arsenal are also understood to have rejected an enquiry for Martín Zubimendi.

Any deal for Fernández will be expensive. While there have been suggestions it could be close to the £106.7m Chelsea paid to sign him, the midfielder will only leave if the club’s conditions are met. Sources have indicated City may have to go beyond Chelsea’s initial £120m asking price to land the 25-year-old – a figure that would test just how badly the champions want to tear up the market again.