Aston Villa’s £150m spending spree sees new look XI – but unwanted Pep Guardiola signing warned to stay away

Aston Villa have spent heavily this summer transfer window to ensure that their record-breaking season does not remain a flash in the pan.

Aston Villa surprised the Premier League last season by finishing in the top four and securing a place in the Champions League.

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This is a testament to the abilities of coach Unai Emery, who succeeded Steven Gerrard in October 2022 when the club was fighting to avoid the relegation zone and has now become a European team.

The summer did not start well, however, as key player Douglas Luiz left for Juventus for £43 million. Luiz was a pillar of Emery’s team, leading them to triumph with nine league goals in 35 appearances.

However, under the Premier League’s PSR rules, Villa knew they had to make money quickly and to replenish their coffers, the team also sold academy stars Omari Kellyman and Tim Iroegbunam.

Saudi Arabia also called: Moussa Diaby left Villa Park after one season for £55 million and moved to Al Ittihad, while Morgan Sanson, Calum Chambers and Viljami Sinisalo also left the club permanently.

In total, Villa earned around £150 million – but the money was put to good use almost immediately: a total of £153.5 million was spent.

Two important players, Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen, were signed, both of whom had excellent seasons at Everton and Borussia Dortmund respectively.

Onana, who was targeted by Manchester United, was a mainstay in Sean Dyche’s midfield and a regular for the Belgian national team. He is known for his defensive strength and positioning.

Maatsen helped Borussia Dortmund reach the Champions League final after his loan from Chelsea and has been linked with a transfer to Bayern Munich.

Villa also made a smart move on Ross Barkley, who left Luton Town for a modest transfer fee after relegation to the Championship and returned to the club he joined on loan in 2020.

With the Champions League just around the corner and the competition undergoing major changes, Emery will need options in the squad and has sufficiently strengthened the team with several young players with great potential.

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Academy product Cameron Archer re-signed for Villa after a year at Sheffield United, which he failed to save from relegation, and will support Ollie Watkins in attack.

Another player returning to the club is Jaden Philogene, who left Hull City this summer after just one season to rejoin Villa like Archer and who was chased by Premier League rivals such as Everton and Ipswich Town.

Also included are former Juventus duo Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenchea as well as Everton’s Lewis Dobbin, all of whom have shown enormous potential and could become the next big stars under Emery.

But Villa’s summer rebuild may not end here and the dream remains a bold transfer of Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix, who could take the club to new levels if his world-class potential is realised.

The Portuguese international joined Atletico in 2019 for an incredible £113 million – a Spanish record – but has since been loaned to Chelsea and Barcelona as Diego Simeone was keen to get rid of the 24-year-old.

The stunning striker may not be a good fit at the Wanda Metropolitano, with Simeone preferring work ethic to flair, and Emery could be the right coach to get the best out of the 2019 Golden Boy Award winner.

There are also links to Manchester City’s hopeless star Kalvin Phillips, whose loan to West Ham last season brought him no benefits after a poor outing in London.

Villa, however, is undeterred and is currently preparing a loan offer for the England international to take him away from the Etihad Stadium, which Pep Guardiola is keen to get rid of after just 16 Premier League appearances in two seasons.

However, Villa legend and The Pitch Prospect expert Gabriel Agbonlahor does not believe that the former Leeds United star will be in Villa’s starting line-up, but is only considered as an option for the squad.

He told The Pitch Prospect: “If you look at the position that Kalvin Phillips plays, you see [Boubacar] Kamara tore a ligament in his knee in February, so he may still have a few months to return.

“When he’s fit, Kamara is the regular starter. But he might need three months or more to get fit again. So we need a little more in that position and we have so many options in midfield.”

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“You have [Youri] Tielemans, you have Barrenchea, you have [John] McGinn, [Jacob] Ramsey, Barkley, Onana.

“But when it comes to midfielders who are supposed to be the number 6, win the ball back, initiate the attack, win the ball back aggressively and play physically, then Kamara was our most important man.

“Losing him and selling Luiz, who was another midfielder, on loan makes sense? Why not? You can get him, there is no guarantee he will be in Aston Villa’s starting eleven. He is not in Aston Villa’s starting eleven.”

“But he is an option, especially with Kamara. You don’t know what the injury will be like when he comes back. That’s why I don’t mind. It’s a loan, so I don’t see any reason why he shouldn’t do it.”

Whether Phillips will be included in the Villa XI, should he sign, remains to be seen, but his likely arrival would give Emery more toughness in midfield, a position weakened following Luiz’s departure.

However, Villa may need to strengthen their defence as Matty Cash is the only experienced option for the right-back position alongside Kaine Kesler-Hayden, who has only made three Premier League appearances.

In attack, Felix would be a much-needed replacement for Saudi Arabian-born Diaby, while Morgan Rogers impressed with three goals after joining from Middlesbrough midway through last season.

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