Will this be a tough summer for Aston Villa?
Aston Villa went into their match against Manchester United on the final day of the Premier League season knowing that a win could be enough to qualify them for the Champions League next term.
This season, Unai Emery had worked his European magic as the team reached the quarterfinals, where they competed well against PSG.
In truth, they performed better than Liverpool and Arsenal against the same opposition in the competition.
Despite losing Jhon Duran in January, they had a good run in Europe’s top club competition and deserve a lot of credit for the performances they delivered.
Villa has steadily made progress in all competitions over the last few terms, but they often save their best performances for the Premier League, as they constantly fight with bigger clubs to play in Europe.
With Emery, they have one of the best managers in the world, especially an expert at making the most of an underdog team.
Villa’s recent progress
Since the Spaniard arrived at the club in October 2022, Villa has been making steady progress in the league.
In his first season at the club, he took them to Europe from a relegation-threatened team under Steven Gerrard.
Villa bounced back from a poor start to the season and finished the campaign in the Europa Conference League spot.
It was a remarkable turnaround, but the best was yet to come for fans who often buy Aston Villa tickets.
The club was impressed with his performance in the previous season and baccked him with the likes of Pau Torres and Mousa Diaby, who joined for a record fee.
The Spaniard did not let them down and took Villa to the Champions League at the end of the 2023/2024 season. He maintained a superb track record of playing in Europe for 17th consecutive seasons as a manager, even though he does not always coach the best clubs.
This summer, Villa failed to reach the heights of the previous campaign, partly because of the strain of playing in Europe, yet they qualified for the Europa League.
Why did Villa not qualify for the Champions League
Villa’s qualification for the league phase of the Champions League came with a price as they struggled in the Premier League, which is not unexpected, as the curse of the Champions League often affects most smaller clubs.
The Villans did their best to strengthen their squad in the summer, but for clubs who rarely qualify for Europe, playing in the Champions League could be daunting and often affects their league form.
This was the problem for Villa, who sought to strengthen their squad in January to combat the problem.
They made some ambitious moves, such as signing Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio from Manchester United and PSG.
These players added value to their team and their contributions are a reason that Villa went far in the Champions League and secured a European spot.
However, the biggest reason they could not earn a return to the Champions League is because of their schedule in the same competition.
If they continue to earn European spots in the league, their players will get used to the schedule and can then successfully juggle playing domestic and continental competitions without struggling.
How tough would Villa’s summer be
Every team that is serious about performing well next term must strengthen their squad in this transfer window.
The window has been interesting so far, with the teams competing at the Club World Cup strengthening their squad in a special window.
The likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid took advantage of that to add players to their squads.
Liverpool has also shown its seriousness to maintain the league crown by agreeing to sign Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.
The Reds are also expected to add Milos Kerkez to their squad, but why has Villa not been so active?
Not qualifying for the Champions League has impacted Villa’s ability to sign players this summer, and they may have a quieter summer than they would like.
As their fans watch those who buy Liverpool tickets celebrate new signings, Villa can only wish to spend that much money.
Villa’s owners would love to spend money to improve their squad, but there are regulations, the biggest of which is the PSR, which governs spending in the Premier League.
Premier League clubs must adhere to strict Profit and Sustainability Rules if they want to avoid sanction, which usually takes the form of point deductions.
Because of their recent ambitious spending, Villa has run into a lot of debt, and for the 2024/2025 season, they are considered the only EPL club at risk of breaking the PSR.
They have just a £15m debt allowance, which means they can only take on £15 m of debt this season.
This is certainly one of the reasons why they have had a very quiet summer transfer window, and might not do much this summer.
Villa’s most important players
Villa is now at risk of selling some of their most important players to fund a bigger transfer pot, but who are their best players?
Emi Martinez
One of the players who could leave Villa this summer is Emiliano Martinez, as the Argentinian is a wanted man.
The World Cup winner has been an outstanding servant for them, and if a good offer arrives from Saudi Arabia, as is being speculated, he could be allowed to leave.
Ezri Konsa
Despite competition from new stars like Pau Torres, Konsa has remained one of Villa's most important players.
The Englishman might not be sold this summer, but he is certainly a player whose departure will help them raise money.
Morgan Rogers
Arsenal and Manchester United have been linked with a move for Rogers, and it is not difficult to see why the top clubs want to add him to their squad.
The midfielder is a terrific player, and some people will argue that he needs to leave Villa for a bigger club to reach a new level.
Ollie Watkins
Arsenal bid for Watkins in January, but Villa kept him, and the striker will attract interest again this summer.
However, at 29, his options are limited, and he might be playing for his last big club, considering the bigger teams now want younger players.