With the addition of Donyell Malen, Marcus Rashford, Axel Disasi, and Marco Asensio to their roster, Aston Villa had one of the greatest winter transfer windows in Premier League history this season. Although only the former has signed a permanent contract, the four players are all extremely talented and will greatly increase the team’s chances of winning the FA Cup again this season. Rashford’s arrival has generated a lot of fanfare, and many had something to say following his FA Cup debut against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday night, but Asensio, a former Real Madrid player, also made his first appearance for Unai Emery’s team in the game, and his start has given both fans and commentators plenty to discuss.
Marco Asensio cameo vs Spurs pic.twitter.com/NKr8xxVOEK
— EB10 (@astonvilla___) February 9, 2025
The Media React to Asensio’s Debut
It appeared for a while that Villa might return to the Championship after they were on the verge of being relegated from the Premier League a number of years ago. In the present, the team has recently acquired Asensio on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, a major player in Europe. There was optimism surrounding his arrival, and Emery’s team has had a tremendous ascent. No one was disappointed by the forward’s debut either. He demonstrated why he is such a gifted player in the second half after coming off the bench. He won two of his three duels, finished the game with a 100% pass success rate, completed a dribble, made eight passes in the last third, and registered a crucial pass in just twenty-four minutes. The media enjoyed what they saw, and it was a good beginning.
Birmingham Live’s Aston Villa journalist, John Townley, talked very highly of him in his player ratings article. He rated him 8/10 and said: “Gave the Villa fans something to cheer shortly after coming on as he executed a roulette to create space and hold possession. More flicks and tricks to follow.”
Birmingham World’s Charlie Haffenden was also quite delighted with what he saw from Asensio. He also rated him 8/10 and said: “[Asensio] shined everytime he got control and didn’t misplace a single pass. Created a wonderful chance for Rogers after snatching the ball out of the sky.”
Fans’ Reaction to Asensio
The media weren’t the only ones happy with what they saw
Fans have also been quite outspoken about what they witnessed from the star on Sunday, despite the media’s rapturous adoration of Asensio. One Villa fan already sees themselves adoring Asensio, despite the general rule in football that you should never fall in love with a loan player because it sets you up for disappointment when you fall in love with them at the conclusion of their temporary stint. “Going to fall in love with a loan player,” they posted on X (Twitter), while another person thought his initial impressions were good and wrote, “Some debut!!”
After witnessing what he had to offer, a third admirer couldn’t resist getting carried away. They said: “Not to get carried away, but Asensio is the best player in the world right now.” The fourth player emphasised his amazing agility on the pitch by remarking, “That man just glides across the pitch.”
Lastly, a fifth fan declared that Asensio was the best passing he had seen in a long time, drawing comparisons to former Villa player Paul Merson. “He was so slick it’s untrue,” he remarked. It’s the best passing I’ve seen in a long time, which made me think of Merson. In contrast to Tielemans and McGinn, who are both good, he shines in the last third.
Not at all a horrible first impression.
