“We have to admit that Aston Villa are title contenderse”, declared Alan Shearer a few days ago. It must be said that the Villans’ performances do not go unnoticed, and Youri Tielemans is certainly not innocent of all this. Some are already talking about a new “Leicester-style” miracle, even if the Premier League title is still far away.
As a playmaker, Tielemans has acquired another status at the club. This season, he has certainly not yet scored in the league, but he has three assists. And it is above all through his contribution to the game that the captain of the Devils splashes England with his talent. This weekend against Chelsea, he was once again decisive: “We really didn’t play well in the first half. The coach told us to stay in the game, create a chance, score, and then we would take the lead. And that’s exactly what happened“, he explains in the podcast d’HLN.
Well helped by his coach Unai Emery, Tielemans is delighted with the Spaniard’s contribution: “This man is extremely passionate about his work, about football“. He also recounts the time invested by Emery for his long talks: “But it works very well, so we accept it. Plus, we learn a lot. I have never attended a tactical briefing that lasted less than 30 minutes. He has his analysts, but I think he watches the game five times himself“.
What if Youri Tielemans and Amadou Onana became English champions?
Also among the Devils, Tielemans has changed status. Promoted to captain by Rudi Garcia, he also talks about his new role in the selection: “It was very special for me. Being captain of your country is perhaps the greatest thing that can happen to an individual. I am very proud of it“.
Will he be crowned “best Belgian player abroad” at the next Golden Shoe Gala? Tielemans prefers to temper: “In football, it is always difficult to evaluate yourself over a single year. We tend to do it over a season, but a lot of things happened to me in 2025. I suffered from injuries that no one wants to experience, but the positive point is that I was able to play an excellent year football-wise.“.
Youri Tielemans talks about his season, his role and his connection with Onana: “The more we play together, the better we understand each other”
