Marco Asensio returns to Birmingham with Fenerbahçe for a Champions League meeting against Aston Villa, the club where he rebuilt his season after falling out of Luis Enrique’s plans at Paris Saint-Germain. The Spanish forward arrives having only just resumed playing after more than a month out, and will face Unai Emery, the manager he credits with restoring his confidence.
What the night decided
For Asensio, Villa Park is not simply another European away ground. He joined Aston Villa on loan in January 2025 after accepting that regular football was no longer available to him in Paris.
Emery’s influence was central to that decision. At his Villa presentation, Asensio said he had known the coach for a long time and described Emery as a major factor in bringing him to Birmingham, adding that the manager’s football suited him perfectly.
His loan spell produced 21 appearances, eight goals and one assist. He also faced his parent club when Villa met PSG in the Champions League quarter-finals that season.
Villa wanted to retain him once the loan expired, but financial restrictions prevented a permanent agreement. Monchi later said the club had expected Asensio to stay, but PSG’s demands and Villa’s financial position made the deal impossible. Asensio, he added, became increasingly anxious as the transfer window progressed without an agreement.
With only hours remaining before the deadline, Asensio chose Fenerbahçe, despite the Turkish side having been eliminated in the final qualifying round for the 2025-26 Champions League.
A reunion with Emery
Asensio has consistently spoken warmly of Emery’s role in his revival. He called the Villa manager “an incredible coach”, praising his attention to detail and his closeness to the players.
He also reflected on a second half of the campaign in which Villa won almost every Premier League match, reached the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley and came close to advancing in Europe.
Regular minutes were the priority behind his move to Turkey. Asensio said he had enjoyed good moments at PSG, but needed continuity to return to his highest level. He felt he had found that at Aston Villa, where he said he was also very happy.
Fenerbahçe’s number 10 returns to fitness
At Fenerbahçe, Asensio again became a decisive figure. His 13 goals and 14 assists in all competitions helped the club push Galatasaray closely in the title race. Among Spanish players, only Lamine Yamal produced more combined goals and assists last season, with 28.
This season Asensio has taken Fenerbahçe’s number 10 shirt and has been joined by attacking options including Greenwood, Muriqi and Lukaku as the club sought a Champions League return for the first time in almost two decades.
He opened the campaign with an assist against Sturm Graz in the qualifying rounds, then scored against Konyaspor at the end of August. That match also brought an injury which kept him out for more than a month.
During his absence, Asensio missed Fenerbahçe’s Champions League opener against Roma and publicly rejected reports in Turkey claiming that he would require surgery. He was back on the bench against Eyüspor before the international break, then marked his return with a goal in the weekend win over Rizespor.
After that match, Asensio said he was pleased with both the goal and the victory, while admitting he still needed matches to regain full sharpness. He described the lay-off as difficult but said he expected to improve gradually.
Now Birmingham offers a different kind of test: a European night against the club and coach who gave him his way back.
