Club Brugge v Aston Villa: Emi Buendia sees bright future despite summer of change

Chief sports writer The midfielder wants to play a big role in Unai Emery's rebuild. Sign up to our Express & Star newsletter Did you know with a Plus subscription to Express and Star you get full access to our award winning journalism for the news that matters to you and more. Emi Buendia believes the future is bright for Villa as they prepare to begin their Champions League campaign at Club Brugge. Unai Emery's team have arrived in Belgium for Tuesday's night's group stage tie still seeking their first win of the season following a summer of huge upheaval. But Buendia, one of the heroes of last term's Europa League triumph, believes there are reasons to be positive about the months ahead as boss Unai Emery gets to grips with a major squad rebuild. The Spaniard is attempting to integrate 10 new signings while dealing with the loss of more than half the side which started May's Europa League final. Yet midfielder Buendia believes the clear structure laid out by Emery will make it easier for the new arrivals to adapt and the team to come together. 'The structure is there - it doesn't matter how many players change from one season to another, our structure is clear,' he said. 'The analysis for each game is clear, and tomorrow we have a great test in European competition. Playing away is always difficult, so the mentality has to be the same as it has been in the last few years: to be winners.' Buendia continued: 'It is not easy because we shared many years together and had many experiences, and in football things change constantly. 'Now we have new experiences with players like (Leon) Goretzka, and young talents who have played for big teams. 'The future is clear: these players are in a great place to develop and improve. They are good players in the present, and they can be huge players in the future for the next years at the club.' Injuries and suspension have so far made the revamp a slow one. Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and striker Nicolas Jackson were the only two new signings to start Saturday's 0-0 draw at Hull, while Goretzka is one of four of the arrivals still waiting for his debut and has now been ruled out until after the international break by a knee injury. Buendia, meanwhile, is aiming to continue his own renaissance after the surprise success of last season. The 29-year-old's Villa career appeared over when he was loaned out to Bayer Leverkusen midway through the 2024-25 season, while he was available to leave all of last summer. But after convincing Emery to keep him on board, he enjoyed comfortably his best campaign at the club, scoring 11 goals including a stunning strike in May's final win over Freiburg. 'The comeback was very important for me,' said Buendia. 'I worked hard to stay and to help the team be successful, like we were last season. 'The same goes for this year. I want to be important, and I work every day for it. I also want to help the new players who joined the club to be successful together.' It was European competition which kickstarted Villa last season after they had failed to win any of their first six matches. Yet they know any victory at the Jan Breydelstadion will be hard-won having been beaten at the venue in the Champions League group stages two years ago, on a night when Tyrone Mings infamously conceded a penalty by picking up an Emi Martinez goal-kick. Villa and Mings got their revenge later in the campaign in the last-16 though the away leg in Belgium was similarly close, before two late goals tipped the tie the way of Emery's men. 'It's a really good test, trying to change the momentum, in terms of results,' said Buendia. 'Trying to get the rest of our confidence back to perform well and get the results we want.' Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.