'This club is my home' - Aston Villa star reveals transfer truth after Unai Emery meeting

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Emi Buendia says he never had any desire to depart Aston Villa - despite enduring a two-and-a-half year drought for a Premier League goal. The 28-year-old emerged from the substitutes' bench to net Villa's third strike in a 3-1 fightback triumph over Fulham on Sunday.

After spending a portion of last campaign on loan at Bayer Leverkusen and missing the entirety of 2023/24 due to injury, that marked the forward's first league goal since March 2023.

It arrived not only amid Villa's disappointing start to the campaign but following a summer where it appeared the Argentine might be departing the club.

However, featuring in seven of Villa's eight matches this season has enabled the ex-Norwich player to regain form, fitness and self-belief.

A pre-season frank discussion with Unai Emery and his coaching team also proved crucial.

"I have been getting better and better and getting back to getting the confidence to play regularly," Buendia said. "We had a clear meeting with the club and coaches to get the idea together.

"Always it was my preference to stay here because I really feel this club is my home and I feel myself close with everyone at the club and the fans because I think I can help this club to be even better in the future.

"We were really clear and together what he wants from me and what I can do for the team. Obviously, I want to help as much as possible the team to be successful.

"From the first moment I came to pre-season I worked really hard to get in the best shape. I felt quite well in pre-season, getting back with the team because the last months I had been on loan and we had not played together for a while.

"I had to get back in the rhythm of the team and the idea and philosophy of this club. I was feeling well, helping the team in pre-season and then also helping in the Premier League."

Nothing assists Emery's struggling attack quite like hitting the target either.

"It's been a long time," Buendia confessed. "I had the season with the injury and then last season I could not have the impact I wanted with the team.

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"So yeah, it's been a long time, more than two years. I'm really happy but most of all to help the team get the first win of the season. It's really important for me and the team."

Buendia was forced to bide his time against Fulham, entering as a half-time replacement for Liverpool-loanee Harvey Elliott and requiring just four minutes to contribute to the John McGinn strike that completed the comeback.

"I wanted to impact the game as quickly as possible," he added. "Even having a few losses of the ball with the first touches I had, trying to get the rhythm of the game.

"At this level it is hard but I keep trying, keep asking for the ball to do my game. I managed to find McGinn with some advantage, obviously he made the rest with a driving run and an amazing shot from outside the box."

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