Aston Villa Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2025/26

And of course United get another soft Red to their advantage - although they are hardly our battle now. We're reliant on other teams cathcing out Pool and Chelsea for our Champs League hopes - or going all out vs Lille

He needs to go end of season regardless of CL qualification IMO. The squad is in dire need of a refresh. Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Pau, Digne, Tielemans, McGinn, Buendia and Watkins all either in or leaving their prime and the squad isn’t being refreshed at all.

The next manager probably won’t be quite as good a coach as Unai, but you can’t continue with this project. At some point you have to improve the squad.

Thats a little over the top

I don’t really see many options in terms of changing the players. Abraham instead of Watkins is the only option that isn’t bringing someone in who hasn’t had chances and brought very little. I think it has to be sorted out tactically, we were holding up defensively until tonight and then looked wide open.

We did get hammered by Spurs at home 2 years ago and still managed to make 4th so maybe we can get another turnaround, not sure how.

Been saying this since the summer in fairness.

The talent levels in the squad is eroding every year and it will only get worse. This year it was Martinez who fell off the cliff in terms of level. Watkins to an extent too. That’s what happens when you can’t refresh the squad.

Guessand, Elliott, Sancho, Lindelof. Most of the previous windows don’t look much less ugly.

I feel next season should be more a back to basics and refresh time - start introducing more youngsters, trust our acedemy, develop youth - while trying to move on some that have reached the time - so sorry but likes of Mings, Digne, Buendia, Barkley, Bailey - and depending replacements available Martinez and Ollie (I'd actually still like Ollie as squad player).

I can't understand why we're letting the likes of Barranchea - a 24 y/o Argentine defensive mid slip away for £15 million while getting in Dougie as cover, we get youngsters like Jimoh-Aloba, Swinkels, Zep Redmond, Kadan Young but loan them out quickly, while bringing back Bailey or in Elliot and Sancho, rather than bring them through, give them minutes, even if it is just for PSR in the future. With exception of Bogarde and Ramsey, I can't remember the last 'up from academy' we've produced - when for a while it was almost our signature to find at least 1 star player in the squad from there - Gabby, Vassell, Davis, Cahill, Grealish.

We need to freshen up, the team next year and add depth - cheapest way, if we're patient is to start trusting the youngsters more, with only a few key signings to replace previous key players that move one

Guessand cost 30 million. Malen cost 24 million. Abraham cost 21 million. I understand that this isn’t Mbappe money and that the players have resale value, but it’s still a never ending trend of Emery signing players he subsequently does not want to start.

Surely that 75 million could have gone on some players that might actually start games in the team. If Emery is there next summer, what will happen again is that everything will be focused on right now, more experienced loan players will be signed, and you’ll have more or less the same core group of players there, albeit a year older.

And Villa’s conversation about living on pennies only stretches so far when you consider that Villa have the 11th highest wage bill in the world, almost as high as Tottenham.

Emery is a world class coach but this project is not sustainable. You can’t keep going in every window, loaning in a few high wage earners , signing a few bad players, never really add any quality for the long term, and think that doesn’t catch up to you.

Tonight’s performance wasn’t unexpected but that first 10 minutes of the second half was the absolute worst I’ve seen in a long time, playing out from defence only to continually lose it on the halfway line.

Everything I’ve seen has suggested Unai has final say on transfers. I would love to believe that this summer is the one that drives on the next 5 years. Obviously in that scenario I don’t want Emery gone because he is the best coach the club has had in my lifetime.

But I’m expecting more high wage loan deals and more bad talent identification, and can only hope to be wrong about that.

For what it’s worth, entire Chelsea team should have been booked at HT for delaying the restart.

What can the Villa players do though, without risking being sent off themselves? No idea how the ref let that happen. Proper weakness.

There is very little depth to the squad (which is insane with the 11th highest wage bill in the world). Things will get better if Tielemans and McGinn recover and other players don’t get injured, but injuries happen, and even moreso during big fixture pileups.

Absolutely, but there is a rule in place in relation to delaying the restart, so ref needed to have some balls and follow them.

Spurs a prime example of what Villa need to avoid becoming in terms of talent drain. Only 2 years since Villa barely pipped them to 4th.