Aston Villa boss Unai Emery could be set for a midfield reshuffle involving a player swap with top flight rival Arsenal, according to reports.

Aston Villa back to winning ways vs Fulham

On Sunday, Aston Villa managed to get back to winning ways in the Premier League by comfortably seeing off Fulham 3-1 in the West Midlands, courtesy of strikes from John McGinn, Ollie Watkins and an own goal from Antonee Robinson.

Now, the Villans sit fifth in the English top-flight standings with 25 points taken from their opening 12 fixtures, just three behind Manchester City, who find themselves at the summit of the table.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Aston Villa boss Emery conveyed his happiness with his side's performance against the Cottagers, telling the club's website: "I’m very happy. We wanted to connect with our supporters and we needed their energy and support. They were amazing in 90 minutes, the fans, supporting us and trying to help us. We are feeling very good here (Villa Park). The first half was very good. We started in the first ten minutes with chances, we controlled the game, scored two goals and avoided their transitions and gameplan.

"In the second half, the match was more open than I wanted and they had some chances to score. We lost our control of the game like we had in the first half because it’s difficult – every team has good players and it’s competitive. They showed that in the second half but we scored the first goal again. They were in the match and scored, but we played the last 20 minutes being serious and keeping our gameplan in our mind."

Heading into the international break, Aston Villa will enjoy a well-deserved rest before returning to action away to Tottenham Hotspur on November 26th.

Aston Villa's next fixtures – all competitions

Competition

Opponent

Venue

Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur (A)

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Europa Conference League

Legia Warsaw (H)

Villa Park

Premier League

Bournemouth (A)

Vitality Stadium

Premier League

Manchester City (H)

Villa Park

Premier League

Arsenal (H)

Villa Park

Emile Smith Rowe could replace Douglas Luiz…

According to a report from Football London, Aston Villa could potentially inherit Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe as part of a swap that would see Douglas Luiz head to the Emirates Stadium.

Luiz continues to be on the radar for Arsenal as they search for replacements to step in for the injured Thomas Partey, who is out for the remainder of 2023. The outlet have hinted at a potential swap deal in light of Aston Villa's previous interest in Smith Rowe, which stems back to 2021.

Smith Rowe, who has previously been labelled "special" by pundit Jamie Carragher, has made 104 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions, registering 18 goals and 12 assists (Smith Rowe statistics – Transfermarkt), with some of that time spent under Emery.

Nevertheless, his future now looks to be uncertain in north London and there is a possibility that he could move on in the January transfer window.