Johan Manzambi scored the winner as Aston Villa beat Newcastle United 1-0 at St James’ Park on 17 October. The midfielder headed Villa in front in the 36th minute, three months after choosing the club over a Newcastle move that had been close to agreement.
The victory moved Villa up to 12th in the Premier League and condemned Newcastle to a second consecutive league defeat.
What Johan Manzambi Has Said About Choosing Aston Villa
Manzambi said after the match that facing Villa in the Europa League final had given him a close look at the team and its coach.
“I knew that was perfect for me,” he said, per Shields Gazette. He played for Freiburg in their 3-0 defeat to Villa in the final in Istanbul in May.
Unai Emery said Manzambi joined Aston Villa because he saw the club as a place to develop and test himself against quality opposition.
Speaking before the match, the Villa head coach said the club had monitored the midfielder before the Europa League final and again at the World Cup.
“We tried to compete to sign him, and we got him,” Emery said.
Manzambi has not publicly discussed the extent of Newcastle’s interest. When Villa announced his signing, he highlighted the club’s place in the Champions League.
In September, he told Swiss outlet 20 Minuten that the move had worked out but did not reveal how close he had come to joining Newcastle.
How Aston Villa overtook Newcastle for Manzambi
Newcastle had reportedly verbally agreed a fee with Freiburg, reportedly worth £49 million, before the World Cup ended. However, Manzambi’s representatives told the club that any move would have to wait until the tournament was over.
Reports differ on whether Newcastle had also agreed to personal terms with the midfielder. Manzambi scored three goals and provided two assists in four games for Switzerland before an injury ended his World Cup campaign.
Villa pursued the midfielder amid squad changes, with Amadou Onana suffering a ruptured cruciate ligament at the tournament and Youri Tielemans leaving for Manchester United. Villa could also offer Champions League football, while Newcastle had no European competition that season.
Villa announced Manzambi’s signing on 17 July but did not disclose the fee or contract length. Reports put the transfer fee between just over £50 million and £59.5 million.
Manzambi’s Start at Villa and Newcastle’s run of Defeats
Manzambi has been involved in five goals in four starts for Aston Villa across all competitions, scoring three and providing two assists.
He is the fourth Villa player to score or assist in each of his first three Premier League starts, after Dalian Atkinson in 1992, Dion Dublin in 1998, and Danny Ings in 2021.
Manzambi scored the winner after Newcastle left him unmarked at the near post to meet João Gomes’ cross from the right. Newcastle managed just one shot on target, with Zion Suzuki saving Sven Botman’s effort early in the second half.
Newcastle had lost 4-1 away to Coventry City five days earlier. The defeat by Villa extended their run without a home clean sheet to 16 games in all competitions, a club record. Matthias Jaissle said Newcastle had played well until conceding but became shaky afterwards.
“We dominated the game; we controlled it,” he said, while admitting his side’s decision-making in the final third had not been good enough.
