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

nothing stupid now and let it settle for 10 mins by keeping the ball better, don’t want to be chasing 2 next week

Buendia showing more energy on the bench than on pitch

Truly dreadful. Villa have been woeful in most games in 2026 and you’d have to be extremely worried that next Thursday isn’t going to be the badly needed exception to that.

Huge summer rebuild required for me (hopefully with CL football to help with that) including a manager change.

Manager change is up there among the silliest comments on the whole thread. We are probably 1 win away from CL football again, while in a Europa Semi final which we shouldnt be in if a ref made the correct call in the last game last season.

Things are fine now. But with recruitment the way it is, I’d say the squad is about 2 years max away from complete collapse in terms of quality.

I don’t think there is a club out there who have signed worse than Villa in the years since Emery came in.

If Emery could keep Martinez, Digne, Konsa, Cash, Kamara, McGinn, Luiz and Watkins in the condition he inherited them forever, the future would be bright, but honestly, the owners have to be wise to the fact that Emery very quickly hates almost every player he signs and surely aren’t gonna trust him with spending more.

I’m reaching a bit here but even if we’d drawn we’d still need to beat them at VP. if we turn up we are capable of beating them by two clear goals. But also how do Forest approach the game knowing a draw will be enough whereas we know we have to win. Should be a great atmosphere next week an early goal will settle the nerves. Forest also play on Monday if that makes any difference.

How would the club not have to find savings on wages? Villa’s wage bill last season was in the top 10 in the world, ahead of teams like Dortmund, Juventus, Inter, Tottenham, Atletico. How does anyone think it’s normal for Villa to have a squad like that, almost full of exclusively senior squad members on 6 figures per week.

Obviously Villa should have constraints relative to the biggest clubs in the world and should have to try be creative in terms of signing some cheaper players and improving them. It is mental for Villa to complain that they can’t spend the way United or Liverpool or Arsenal do (that’s without getting into the oil clubs because it’s an extremely long conversation that has little to do with Villa)

Ultimately if Villa are going to be successful long term, there won’t be a way to do it without signing younger/cheaper players and improving them. There was a formula found in terms of the squad inherited, and it’s been wonderful, but that doesn’t last forever. You can’t be successful long term without being good in the transfer market.

On this, by all reports, Villa added 650k per week in salary last January on 3 players (Rashford, Asensio, Malen) and then didn’t even register one of them for the Champions League.

I’ve no idea how people think this is normal spending and that Villa are being screwed over by the rules.

Which part do you disagree with though? Do you genuinely believe that in a FFP world you can keep spunking gigantic wages on experienced players and never ever achieve any succession planning?

2 players in that lineup last night under the age of 28 and there isn’t a cohort of younger players pushing that group for a place in the team. Literally only Bogarde and Maatsen playing any meaningful minutes and I don’t get the impression either is going to ever become a starter for Emery.

Do you genuinely believe that’s sustainable?

Where do you think it ends though? Do you genuinely believe that the club can operate the way it is for say 3 more years and there isn’t a price to be paid? Do you actually think the strategy is one that can work?

Surely the exact time for signing younger players who will improve was when the wage bill needed to be cut? What makes you think that’s more likely to happen now when bringing in players like Rashford on loan might suddenly be achievable again?