Aston Villa had been close to signing AC Milan’s Pervis Estupinan in the summer. A deal never went through and some background about the Rossoneri’s decision has now emerged.
Earlier this week, Sport Witness tracked comments from Ruben Amorim about why he decided to keep the left-back at the San Siro. He backed the Ecuadorian to make a turnaround, clarifying that he had been responsible for cancelling the transfer to Villa Park.
He also backed him to turn things around, with Estupinan having put in a poor performance against Atalanta at the weekend.
That showing was a defining point of his time in Italy, as he struggled in the 2025/26 campaign too.
Belief player needs defending
Calciomercato’s Daniele Longo reports that after Aston Villa, Benfica came calling for the left-back. Amorim remained firm on his stance but the journalist describes Estupinan’s performance at the weekend as ‘truly disastrous’.
It is noted that the choice of keeping the player is largely because of how steadfast Amorim is with his ideas. He uses wing-backs significantly in his system and Estupinan is a good fit for that role.
The Portuguese wants to make sure that his defence allows the defender to play more freely. He is currently lacking confidence and is living in fear of making mistakes. Amorim wants to give him the space to do that and he will be persistent about this.
Longo believes Amorim’s defence is ‘worthy of the best lawyers’.
Decision could yet backfire
It is refreshing to see a player being backed to the hilt but this decision can also backfire. That will neither help the player nor the club. There is also a chance the 28-year-old’s stock can fall further.
Estupinan could’ve been a regular left-back at Aston Villa and it would have brought his career back on track. The failure to sign him allowed Unai Emery’s side to land Matteo Ruggeri instead.
The Italian has played four times in the Premier League so far this season and his prominence will keep going up. As of now though, Estupinan would be looking at all of it unfold with some regret.
