With the summer transfer window now closed, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery will hope he has a squad capable of competing at the top level, for the next four months at least anyway.
It was a busy transfer market for Villa with five new signings and multiple exits, with Emery moulding the squad into his own as we prepare ourselves for a big campaign, in which we will aim to compete on multiple fronts for silverware.
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The Spaniard has insisted since he arrived that he only wants to make signings that significantly improve the group, and that has been the case this summer, albeit perhaps with alterations to our strategy due to the long-term injuries sustained by Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia.
President of Football Operations, Monchi, has made his influence felt through deals done in the latter part of the summer in both incomings and outgoings, and through working closely with Emery, his staff and the scouting department, we’ve hopefully identified and signed the ideal individuals to address key issues.
Aston Villa’s summer transfer business:
IN: Youri Tielemans [free], Pau Torres, Moussa Diaby, Nicolo Zaniolo [loan], Clement Lenglet [loan].
OUT: Cameron Archer, Jaden Philogene, Marvelous Nakamba, Keinan Davis, Aaron Ramsey, Ashley Young [free], Kaine Kesler-Hayden [loan], Louie Barry [loan], Wesley, Morgan Sanson [loan], Lamare Bogarde [loan], Finn Azaz [loan].
Assessing the moves detailed above, Villa have been astute in the market this past summer, adding real quality to the group with targeted reinforcements that improve us in key roles, and without having to spend extortionate transfer fees.
Zaniolo will potentially earn a permanent move if he proves both his fitness and consistency this year, while Lenglet was a savvy late addition to add competition and depth following the injury suffered by Mings, to essentially cover his absence for a season.
Similarly for many other clubs, FFP is becoming a more prominent influence in transfer dealings and so Villa have sold several youth products for good fees to help balance the books, and perhaps give us flexibility moving forward to strengthen.
Further, a priority has seemingly emerged to add buy-back clauses in these agreements to give ourselves the option of bringing these top talents back if they impress at their new clubs, and so again, Villa have been astute in their dealings in relation to outgoings too.
Additionally, we’ve shipped out several individuals who perhaps had no real role to play for us moving forward, and so there has been a good balance to our work, while there is still speculation that Philippe Coutinho could leave which could be fundamental in opening the door for a future acquisition.
Ultimately though, Emery has two strong options in most, if not every, position in his squad now, while there is versatility in the group to provide different solutions when needed too, as seen with Ezri Konsa shifting across to right, Matty Cash playing in a more advanced role or Pau Torres moving to left-back.
The new arrivals have all impressed thus far too, and while there will be always be a desire to see more business done and perhaps we have neglected one or two positions when more was needed, Villa fans surely have to be happy with our signings, who add quality, experience and significantly improve us.
Importantly too, there is still a lot of untapped potential in this squad, and under Emery’s guidance, there is excitement over our ongoing progression this season as the new faces fully integrate and display their quality alongside their teammates.