Forget what European football chiefs might say in public. Aston Villa are unwelcome guests at tonight’s party in Salzburg and the game’s wealthy elite would be perfectly happy if they never turned up again.
If that sounds harsh, read the thoughts of UEFA finance chief Andrea Traverso. Speaking last year about financial rules that seem to reward money-making activities over anything that happens on the pitch, Traverso admitted ‘the regulations were never designed to create competitive balance but rather to bring financial discipline, and that stability is precisely what continues to attract investors to European football’.
In the interview with the Football Benchmark group, Traverso also accepts that ‘if the financial gap between clubs continues to grow, it becomes harder to maintain that competitive balance’. But if that is a priority for UEFA, they have a funny way of showing it.
If they beat Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup tonight, Villa will collect a second European trophy in less than three months, following their Europa League triumph in May. They are about to start their second Champions League campaign in three seasons and under Unai Emery, they have finished seventh, fourth, sixth and fourth in the Premier League. Their progress has been astonishing.
Instead of being able to build on that, Villa have had to sell their best attacker and best midfielder this summer, as well as France’s left back, just to satisfy UEFA’s financial controls.
Their best defender, Ezri Konsa, is wanted by Arsenal and Emery hopes he will not follow Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne through the exit door.
Aston Villa’s progress under Unai Emery has been astonishing – and now they have a chance of a second European trophy in three months
But they have been hamstrung by the financial rules of UEFA and the Premier League, leaving them with little choice but to sell star men like Morgan Rogers (pictured)
Even though Villa co-owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens are worth a combined £10billion, Villa are effectively being punished because they cannot generate the same revenue as commercial giants like Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea.
If Villa qualify for Europe’s top competition again this season, they could start to dream of challenging their richer rivals long-term. If they do, it might just be the greatest achievement of Emery’s top-level career.
Why did Villa have to sell?
Villa were fined about £9.5million a year ago for breaching UEFA regulations and as part of their three-year settlement agreement, they must deliver a progress report to European football chiefs every six to 12 months.
Across last season and this, Villa are allowed to spend up to £52million more than they earn on transfers and wages. That meant that to strengthen this summer, Villa had to sell, and the departures of Rogers, Tielemans and Digne has yielded about £150million.
That Rogers should move to Chelsea, who did not qualify for Europe last season and whose operating losses over the last three years were nearly £700million, is another indicator of how misguided UEFA’s priorities seem to be.
If Villa can balance their books to UEFA’s satisfaction, they will be released from the settlement agreement a year early.
Even then, they will have to keep football spending to 70 per cent of revenue, in line with squad cost ratio rules. Villa plan to expand their stadium to 50,000 and continue to grow commercially, yet their revenue for 2024-25 was still nearly £200million short of the £565million generated by Tottenham, who finished 17th in the top flight last season, and the previous one.
It is a relatively bleak picture for those who like football to be unpredictable. Because if Villa, who finished 14th in Deloitte’s latest football money league with a revenue of £378million, struggle to stay in touch, then what hope is there for smaller or similar-size clubs?
Left back Lucas Digne is now on the books of Villa’s opponents tonight, PSG – one of three high-profile exits this summer
What do they do now?
Villa are not blameless here. If they feel they have one hand tied behind their back, it is their fault, too.
Emery has been brilliant since taking control in 2022 but the transfer market is his Achilles heel.
Last summer Villa spent £26million on Evann Guessand and gave high wages to loan players Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott. Within a few weeks, Emery had decided he didn’t really fancy any of them.
They paid about £18million on Tammy Abraham last winter but are now open to selling him or letting him leave on loan.
Something happens to Emery when the window is open. Ultra-meticulous in his training sessions and match prep, Emery is less consistent when assessing the market. One week he may decide he wants a right-footed left winger, only to ask for a left-footed right winger the next. Sometimes his emotions get the better of him and this is where the calmness of transfer chief Roberto Olabe should help.
Villa have far less margin of error with deals than their wealthier rivals and they cannot afford more mistakes this summer.
Based on his performances for Freiburg last season and for Switzerland at the World Cup, £52million Johan Manzambi is an exciting signing – but for now he is out with a knee injury and it is unclear when he will return. It would be no surprise if the 20-year-old missed the opening weeks of the season.
For £35million, Joao Gomes looks a solid capture from Wolves for a midfield badly in need of numbers after the sale of Tielemans and Amadou Onana’s ACL injury, while the most fascinating deal so far was Alejandro Garnacho.
For £35million, Joao Gomes looks a solid capture from Wolves for a midfield badly in need of numbers
Alejandro Garnacho is one of the most eye-catching additions of the summer. You sense his early performances will set the tone for his campaign
Villa’s owners have good relations with their Chelsea counterparts and it seems plausible that the Garnacho deal was discussed during negotiations over Rogers’ move to Stamford Bridge.
Earlier in the summer, Villa had looked at various options for the wide attacking spots, from Harvey Barnes to Crysencio Summerville and Ibrahim Mbaye, the PSG winger who could feature at the Red Bull Arena.
In the end though they settled on Garnacho, as perhaps was inevitable once it became clear that Rogers would join Chelsea. It has emerged that at least two weeks before the deal was announced, the England international was telling friends he knew he would be moving to Chelsea. Perhaps at that stage, Garnacho also knew his next club, too, and do not rule out Nicolas Jackson making the same trip in the closing hours of the window.
Emery has a mixed record with Manchester United cast-offs. While at Villa for five months in 2025, Marcus Rashford did well enough to earn a loan move to Barcelona. Sancho, on the other hand, made no significant impression.
If Emery did indeed want Garnacho above all other targets, then he may be able to bring the best from him. If there were other priorities at stake, it might be tricker for the Argentine to make an impression. You sense his early performances will set the tone for his campaign.
Is this a refresh?
This is a very different Villa from the one that hammered Freiburg 3-0 to lift the Europa League at the Tupras Stadium in Istanbul.
Not only have Rogers and Tielemans – two of the goalscorers that night – left along with Digne, but Emery’s coaching staff has changed, too.
Austin MacPhee, Villa’s high-profile set-piece coach, has taken his dead-ball strategies and Kurt Cobain hairdo to Chelsea. Emery’s experienced No2 Pako Ayestaran and performance coach Antonio Rodriguez Saravia – known as Rodri – have also moved on. That is six key figures in the Istanbul triumph who are no longer employed by Villa.
It’s not just change on the pitch for Villa. Austin MacPhee (right), their high-profile set-piece coach, has taken his dead-ball strategies and Kurt Cobain hairdo to Chelsea
This might not be all bad, though. Working for Emery is exhausting, both for players and staff members.
Emery leads all training sessions and will repeat drills until they are done exactly as he wishes, even physically moving players a centimetre to the left or right until they are standing in the correct spot.
Then there are the tactical meetings in the video room, which usually happen twice a week and can last up to 90 minutes. Not to mention the individual audiences with Emery that players have throughout the season. For staff, hours are long.
Emery’s appetite for work is astonishing, even for a coach earning about £12million per year. Quite simply, the Spaniard does not switch off and that means his key deputies are always on call. Perhaps only Marcelo Bielsa and Pep Guardiola have a similar 24/7 approach and that is not easy for their lieutenants. Chema Sanz and Pal Fjelde, the new set-piece coach, are next in line to face the Emery whirlwind.
These changes might work for the best, though. Last season was a supreme effort from all involved, especially given the chaos of last August.
It is doubtful whether they could repeat it. Perhaps the changes in personnel will bring fresh energy. For Gomes, Manzambi, Fjelde and others, Emery’s methods are new and exciting. Adding another trophy would be the perfect start to the new era.
