Premier League Preview: Aston Villa

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·7 août 2025

Premier League Preview: Aston Villa

Last year’s finish: 6thFirst match: Saturday, August 16 @ 7:30am ET vs. Newcastle UnitedWhere they’ll be five games in: 10 pts. with 3W, 1D, 1L

Transfer News

When your “biggest” signing is a 34 year old Dutch goalkeeper (Marco Bizot) who’s only destined to be a backup to the mercurial Emi Martínez, you know it’s been a quiet summer. The Martínez saga alone had enough drama and plot twists to spawn a Netflix series. First he was leaving, and teams were lining up to make bids. Then Villa got all prickly and said they were gonna play hardball on any negotiations. Interest dried up, and it appears the Argentian will be staying at least another season (he’s under contract until 2029).

Vidéos OneFootball

There were some strategic teenage pick-ups, including a $5.3M investment in Senegalese defender Modou Kéba Cissé who will remain at Austrian club LASK for this season. None of this is surprising given that Villa were squarely in the sights of the league’s Profit & Sustainability Rules police.

On the departure side, it’s Much Ado About Nothing. Their flirtation with Marcus Rashford ended by them choosing to not exercise the $53M buy option from Manchester United. The other fifteen players released or sold were mainly out on loan already and will not be missed.

Season Outlook

The team certainly has the belief they’re capable of better than 6th place. And there’s no reason to expect less, given that nearly the entire side is returning and healthy. They may have been shunted aside from next season’s Champions League by goal differential, but Unai Emery has a knack for the Europe League. He’s won it four times, and a fifth will be a club objective.

Key Players

Outside of Rashford, who only made 17 appearances, this Villa team is the same one that started in August 2024.

Forward Ollie Watkins is still Villa’s alpha up front. Donyell Malen was effective in his half-year after moving from Dortmund; expect to see him getting more time.
Midfield Morgan Rogers has a breakout year and we should see more of the same. With Youri Teilemans, Emiliano Buendía, Leon Bailey and John McGinn, this is a potent group.
Defense Virgil van Dijk & Ibrahima Konaté central Miloš Kerkez on the left; Conor Bradley on the right.
Goalkeeper Martínez. He’s the ultimate shithouser. You hate to play him; you love him if he’s yours.

Other Bits

Villa sold their women’s team earlier this summer, which released much of the PSR pressure for this year.

Their pre-season has been hectic, with seven away games against Danish, German, French and Spanish teams in the United States, plus one home tie against Roma. Emery is certainly getting the squad ready for an intense upcoming season.