And to think that Aston Villa perhaps thought they had done the hardest part by announcing the extension of Morgan Rogers in November 2025, until 2031. This was not enough to prevent the English big names from outbidding at the start of the transfer window on the English international, ultimately sold for €138 million to Chelsea. The start of the great exodus in the Villans squad, after several good years under the leadership of Unai Emery, with 4th places in the Premier League and a Europa League won.
The cycle had to end, and that was the case this summer, with the departures of major players, such as Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, Ezri Konsa, Emiliano Martinez, Morgan Rogers, and Ollie Watkins. More than half of the starters left Birmingham, bringing in a nice chunk of money in the process. Aston Villa is thus the 2nd best-selling club, behind Chelsea and tied with Manchester City.
Transfer records broken
Ultimately, the coherence and continuity of the project rest on one man: Unai Emery. Present since October 2022, he embodies the club’s ambition despite this exodus as expected as it is feared. Aston Villa also invested massively, beating its transfer record twice in quick succession, for Johan Manzambi, revelation of the 2026 World Cup, then for Nicolas Jackson, whom Emery had launched for Villarreal.
The impact of the Spanish coach will be scrutinized more than ever in the heart of an off-season where Aston Villa has changed everything. It got off to a bad start, with two defeats in the first two days. No worries, like last season with no victory in the first 6 matches, before finishing 4th in the PL. We will have to see how the recruits fit into Emery’s tactics, with promises (Manzambi, Mbaye), confirmed players (Goretzka, Wan-Bissaka, Ruggeri) and players to be relaunched (Nicolas Jackson, Alejandro Garnacho). A real test of the long-term viability of the project.
