Newcastle United

Newcastle United

Premier League • England

Newcastle can exact revenge on Emery snub by stealing Aston Villa transfer target they’ve ‘marked’

Nicolas Jackson, Koke, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, August 2022

Newcastle United could get their revenge on Unai Emery for snubbing them, by stealing transfer target Nicolas Jackson from under Aston Villa’s nose.

Emery might have been managing Newcastle a year ago. Indeed, the Spaniard was offered the job at St James’ Park, but turned it down.

That was as he was flying high with Villarreal. Come the end of the season, they had reached the Champions League semi-finals, and finished seventh in La Liga.

As such, his reluctance to take the Newcastle job made sense. Following the snub, the Magpies opted for former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe.

He has done a fantastic job since taking up the role. The Englishman engineered an 11th-placed finish last season, after taking over the club when they were in relegation trouble.

This season, things are going very well for Newcastle. They are currently third in the Premier League after 14 games, having lost just one of those.

Emery now finds himself in a vastly different position to when he was offered the job at Newcastle. The former Arsenal manager decided to take the Aston Villa manager’s job, after Steven Gerrard was relieved of his duties.

At the moment, Villa are 13th in the league, after beating Manchester United 3-1 in Emery’s first game in charge.

Newcastle can get revenge on Emery

Emery will no doubt be given backing by the Villa board to make changes to his side. One potential signing that he is plotting is Nicolas Jackson, who he managed at Villarreal.

The forward has scored three goals and registered two assists so far this season. He is still finding his feet in senior football, but looks a promising asset.

Emery gave him his start at Villarreal last season, and he could thrive under his management, should he move to Villa.

However, Newcastle could stop that from happening, getting revenge on Emery for snubbing their job offer. Indeed, they are reportedly interested in Jackson themselves, according to insider Dean Jones.

“Newcastle have looked at him, but he’s not top of the list as I understand it. He’s just a player that they’ve kind of marked down to keep an eye on for the coming months,” he told GIVEMESPORT.

Even if they are not 100 per cent keen, they could attempt to flex their muscles to make a statement.

Nicolas Jackson given big decision

That would give Jackson a big decision. Of course, Newcastle are currently flying high, and look as if they could challenge for a top-four spot come the end of the season.

However, the winger will likely be keen on the idea of reuniting with his former manager.

As such, it would be interesting to see which destination he would pick, if both clubs came after him.

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