Aston Villa season preview: Focus is on a Champions League return, but lack of recruitment is a worry

New York Times

21 hours ago

Unai Emery enters his third full season as Aston Villa manager with the same burning desire for progress.
His side were bruised and battered after failing to qualify for the Champions League last season, doomed by a woeful performance at Manchester United on the final Sunday when even a point would have done the job.
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Though they still secured a Europa League spot, it was the first time that Villa's rise under Emery has not been linear; this backwards step, albeit a very small one, will pose a challenge in terms of whether they can get back up and battle the increasingly strong competition around them for those precious seats at UEFA's top table.
So, with that said, what are we to expect from Villa's 2025-26 campaign? Allow The Athletic to discuss…
To be in the Champions League. Villa do not plan to be in European club football's marquee competition every year, but the nature of missing out on goal difference on the season's final day in May — it turned out they only needed a point at Old Trafford but still ended up losing 2-0 to a United side who were 16th in the 20-team table heading into the game and coming off a painful Europa League final defeat four days earlier — was haunting.
Emery does not accept regression on a wider scale, so a Champions League spot is a target. There is an acknowledgement, however, that Villa have not been able to spend the money they would have wanted to this summer, influencing recruitment and general approach. This is during a time when expected competitors for a top four/five finish are splashing big sums on top-bracket players.
This leads us nicely onto Villa's summer transfer window so far. In truth, it has been slow and tough-going, with Villa restricted on what they can spend due to UEFA Squad Cost Rules (SCR) and having to bring their salary level below 70 per cent of overall revenue. This has impacted the wages that can be paid to prospective players, but also, with Villa still mindful of domestic profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), has led to a tailored budget.
For instance, they would ideally like to sign a central defender and an attacker, which requires more money. This cannot happen until further departures materialise, including midfielder Jacob Ramsey, who is close to joining Newcastle United.
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This season will be Villa's third in a row playing at European level. UEFA rules state that clubs in its three competitions can lose no more than €60million (£51.6m; $70.1m at current rates) over three years, plus a possible €10m per year if European football's governing body deems them to be in a 'good' financial state. Consequently, UEFA's version of PSR — called The Football Earnings Rule — is tighter than in the Premier League, which permits losses of up to £105m across such a period.
For now, Villa have wisely recruited goalkeeper Marco Bizot from Brest, who will be the No 2, as well as forward Evann Guessand, a long-standing scouting target of theirs, from another side in France's Ligue 1, Nice.
Villa have missed several players due to financial constraints that never, really, put them in the race.
They wanted Spanish club Real Betis' winger Jesus Rodriguez, who instead joined Como in Italy, and Sverre Nypan, the Norwegian teenager who has ended up at Manchester City, plus many others they could not go for due to monetary limits. At the time of writing, Villa are undecided whether to follow up on an initial offer for Toulouse central defender, Jaydee Canvot.
They have looked at goalkeepers and signed Bizot, yet Emiliano Martinez's exit, surprisingly to him, has not transpired. This has been the case in other areas, with Villa unable to bring a player through the door until another heads out.
Contracts have been signed. Tyrone Mings, Boubacar Kamara and Lucas Digne so far, with more hoping to be negotiated.
Villa have a new president of business operations in Francesco Calvo, following the departure of Chris Heck. He has been brought in to strengthen the relationship with supporters, having had experience working with fan groups in previous roles at Barcelona, Roma and Juventus.
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Donyell Malen has been direct and emphatic in his finishing. As The Athletic wrote earlier in the summer, the Netherlands international was confident he would kick on after a taxing first four months in the Midlands after his January arrival from Borussia Dortmund in Germany. He has looked in fine fettle, as does England striker Ollie Watkins, who has finally had a few months to rest with no major tournament this summer and looks all the better for it.
Can I be boring and say just, 'Watching Villa?' There is nothing better than an evening kick-off at Villa Park. The home team seem to play at an altogether different intensity and at a much greater level than the sum of their parts on those occasions. A third straight year in Europe — completing the set with the Europa League following Conference League (reaching the semi-finals) and Champions League (quarter-finals) participation — is very fun.
Their team standing still while others move forward. Villa's summer window has not been as ambitious as staff and supporters would have liked due to the reasons outlined earlier, made all the more difficult to comprehend when clubs such as Manchester United are spending up to £200million ($271.6m) on three new forwards.
Emery is always confident in his abilities and the environment he has created at the club being strong enough to adapt and overcome any challenge. Preferably, he would have liked to refresh and augment the squad more than he has, though he knows keeping key players is equally imperative. It is why he has underlined the necessity of Villa focusing on contract extensions.
Is 100 per cent allowed? No? OK. I'll go as sure as you can be, unless some supergiant of the game makes him a ludicrous offer. He certainly will not be sacked, as Emery essentially runs all things football at Villa now.
So… 95 per cent.
Villa evolve tactically. Playing in the same controlled structure works most of the time but opponents had growing success in recognising how to stifle them, especially in last season's big, defining matches. It does not have to be a change in formation — although Emery has experimented with a back three during pre-season — just subtle tweaks to their approach, both in and out of possession.
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