Aston Villa 2026/27 Season Preview

Aston Villa 2026/27 Season Preview

Where Did Aston Villa Finish Last Season?

Winless in their first six Premier League games, and playing with a style that indicated the years of overachieving had caught up to them, no one expected Villa to turn things around in such spectacular fashion last season.

But Unai Emery, ever the tactical mastermind, wasn’t going to let things get away from him that easy. Soon enough, the Villains embarked on a remarkable run that saw them win 18 of their next 21, only losing in the league to Liverpool and Arsenal, and propelling them back into the now familiar top four.

They never left, and though Champions League qualification went down to the penultimate day as Liverpool and Bournemouth managed to keep pace, a 4-2 win over Arne Slot’s men clinched a return to the highest echelon of European football, with a fourth-placed finish being their joint highest finish since their return to the Premier League.

Exploring Porto 🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/MfWsg6Souh

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 25, 2026

Not that they needed it, as with Emery at the wheel, it was almost predetermined that the Spaniard would win the Europa League for a record-extending fifth time, and Villa’s first major continental trophy since 1982. Beating Freiburg 3-0 in the final, the Birmingham-based outfit punctuated their league position with a trophy, along with automatic passage to the Champions League anyway.

However, this season looks set to be a challenge. With stalwarts Rogers, Digne and Tielemans all signed away elsewhere, and Amadou Onana out until March with an ACL injury, Emery must recruit smartly and quickly. If he can’t, then last season’s Herculian effort will have been for nought.

Best Result: Aston Villa 4-0 AFC Bournemouth (Buendia 28’, Onana 40’, Barkley 77’, Malen 82’).

Worst Result: Aston Villa 1-4 Chelsea (Luiz 2’; Pedro 35’, 45+6’, 64’, Palmer 55’).

Who Have Aston Villa Signed in the Summer Transfer Window So Far?

IN

Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea - £65 Million

Johan Manzambi from Freiburg – £59.5 Million

Ibrahim Mbaye from PSG - £47 Million

Joao Gomes from Club Wolves – £34.2 Million

Zion Suzuki from Parma - £30 Million

Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton - £30 Million

Matteo Ruggeri from Atletico Madrid - £17 Million

Modou Cisse from LASK – £4.7 Million

Alejandro Garnacho from Chelsea – Loan with Undisclosed Obligation to Buy

Aaron Wan-Bissaka from West Ham United - Loan with Undisclosed Obligation to Buy

Blade Earley from Cambridge United - Free Transfer

Leon Goretzka - Free Agent

Total Spent: £287.4 Million

OUT

Morgan Rogers to Chelsea - £117 Million

Ezri Konsa to Arsenal - £55 Million

Ollie Watkins to Al-Hilal - £51.8 Million

Youri Tielemans to Manchester United - £36 Million

Donyell Malen to Roma – £21.4 Million

Enzo Barrenechea to Benfica – Loan Made Permanent for £12.8 Million

Lewis Dobbin to Southampton – £9 Million

Lucas Digne to Paris St Germain - £8.5 Million

Emiliano Martinez to Chelsea - £7.5 Million

Yeimar Mosquera to Vitoria SC - £400'000

Louie Barry to Sheffield Wednesday - Undisclosed

Sil Swinkels to Sheffield Wednesday - Undisclosed

Thierry Katsukunya to Cardiff City - Free Transfer

Ronnie Hollingshead to King's Lynn - Free Transfer

Junior Wilson to Birmingham City - Free Transfer

Ewan Simpson to Airdrieonians - Free Transfer

Kosta Nedeljkovic to Rangers - Loan with Option to Buy

Evann Guessand to Crystal Palace - Season-Long Loan

Samuel Iling Junior to Bolton Wanderers - Season-Long Loan

Zepequeno Redmond to Annecy - Season-Long Loan

Josh Feeney to Peterborough United - Season-Long Loan

Aidan Borland to Accrington Stanley - Season-Long Loan

Andres Garcia to Getafe – Season-Long Loan

Oliwier Zych to Vitoria de Guimaraes - Season-Long Loan

Tommi O'Reilly to Doncaster Rovers - Season-Long Loan

Brad Burrowes to Wigan Athletic - Season-Long Loan

Kadan Young to Annecy - Season-Long Loan

Lino Sousa to Shrewsbury Town - Season-Long Loan

Kane Taylor to Rochdale - Season-Long Loan

Ben Broggio to Stevenage - Season-Long Loan

Sam Proctor to Shrewsbury Town - Season-long loan

Joe Gauci to Lincoln City - Season-long Loan

Total Received: £319.4 Million

Aston Villa 2026/27 Squad List

Goalkeepers: Zion Suzuki, Marco Bizot, Rhys Oakley.

Defenders: Matty Cash, Victor Lindelof, Tyrone Mings, Pau Torres, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Modou Cisse, Ian Maatsen, Matteo Ruggeri

Midfielders: Johan Manzambi, Amadou Onana, Lamare Bogarde, Boubacar Kamara, Joao Gomes, Ross Barkley, John McGinn, Leon Goretzka

Attackers: Leon Bailey, Alysson Edward, Alejandro Garnacho, Emi Buendía, Ibrahim Mbaye, Nicolas Jackson, Tammy Abraham, Brian Madjo

Aston Villa 2026/27 Home, Away and Third Kits

Home Kit

The first outing of the new home shirt 🤤 pic.twitter.com/fiSE1R01Pp

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 21, 2026

Away Kit

there's Villans everywhere… 🕵

26/27 Aston Villa Away – available 22.08 pic.twitter.com/SPCJXcQcl5

— Aston Villa (@AstonVilla) August 20, 2026

Third Kit

adidas and Aston Villa unveil their 26/27 third kit. pic.twitter.com/ShvJDtPCAk

— VERSUS (@vsrsus) August 7, 2026

What is Aston Villa’s Opening Premier League Fixture?

Brighton vs Aston Villa | AMEX Stadium, Brighton | Sunday, August 23rd, 14:00

How Can I Watch Brighton vs Aston Villa?

TV coverage for the game is yet to be announced.

What Are Aston Villa’s First Five Fixtures?

• Brighton vs Aston Villa – Sunday, August 23rd.

• Aston Villa vs Arsenal - Monday, August 31st.

• Hull City vs Aston Villa – Saturday, September 5th.

• Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest – Saturday, September 12th.

• Tottenham vs Aston Villa – Saturday, September 19th.

When Do Aston Villa Play Rivals Coventry City in 2026/27?

With no Wolves, Birmingham or West Brom in the top flight this season, 2026/27 instead sees a rivalry renewed between the Villains and the Sky Blues, who haven’t met in 25 years. With Villa’s 3-2 win back in 2001 officially relegating Coventry to the second tier, there will still be many who hold a grudge against the Villains for that.

• Coventry City vs Aston Villa | CBS Arena, Coventry | Saturday, 12th December

• Aston Villa vs Coventry City | Villa Park, Birmingham | Saturday, April 4th

Last Five Meetings:

• 05/05/01: Aston Villa 3-2 Coventry City (Premier League)

• 25/11/00: Coventry City 1-1 Aston Villa (Premier League)

• 11/03/00: Aston Villa 1-0 Coventry City (Premier League)

• 22/11/99: Coventry City 2-1 Aston Villa (Premier League)

• 27/02/99: Aston Villa 1-4 Coventry City (Premier League)

Who is Aston Villa’s Manager for the 2025/26 Season?

Unai Emery

What is there to say about Unai Emery that hasn’t already been said? One of the most underrated managers of his generation, it is absolutely criminal that he has not consistently been managing at the biggest clubs in the world, despite PSG and, as much as it pains me to admit it, Arsenal.

Taking on the Villa job when the Claret and Blue outfit were stuck in the quagmire of mid-table, the Spaniard clearly made it his mission to take them to the top – if the big sides weren’t going to come knocking on his door, he would simply create his own.

Here's to you, Unai Emery 💜 pic.twitter.com/ESzbyaffwY

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) March 12, 2026

My goodness, how well he has done – Emery has now guided Villa to the Champions League on two occasions since they were promoted in 2019, and with a Europa League now in the club's trophy cabinet, the man formerly known for his pronunciation of “good evening” has ensured his legacy at the West Midlands club will be something a whole lot more palatable.

He has a job on his hands this season, though – with all of his most reliable stars receiving money-spinning moves, he suddenly has quite a few holes to plug with less than a month until the season. Though he will certainly find stop gap measures, bringing in replacements of equal quality will be the main challenge.

Who is Aston Villa’s Player to Watch?

Johan Manzambi

The breakout star of the 2026 World Cup with three goals and two assists as Switzerland bruised their way to the quarter-finals, we all know exactly what Johan Manzambi is all about: relentless running, a penchant for going forwards rather than back, and not a half-bad eye for goal.

A big part of the Freiburg side that lost at the hands of his new employers in the Europa League final, Manzambi was one of the few players on the German side that actually played well in the showpiece game, and in hindsight, it was perhaps the performance that first sparked Villa’s interest.

Johan Manzambi can do everything 🌟#UEL pic.twitter.com/NEvKryCChq

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) July 2, 2026

However, his price tag ballooned solely because of his World Cup showings – very rarely have we seen a 20-year-old burst onto the biggest stage of all in such spectacular fashion, and although he may be arriving at Villa Park with a knee injury, it shouldn't be long before we get to see him test himself against some of the world’s finest.

Aston Villa 2026/27 Season Prediction

European qualification is always a pretty safe bet for Aston Villa - they are reliable, but unspectacular, trustworthy but not overly consistent, and they are more than capable of excellent periods of form.

There is no doubt that a season without Rogers, Tielemans and Digne, and with the possibility of further losing the likes of Watkins and Konsa, will be immensely tricky, but if there is one thing that Emery has proven in his career, it is his talent ID – how else do you think Villa got to where they are?

Manzambi looks like a certified star, Joao Gomes is a smart Tielemans replacement, and Cisse looks like an excellent, value-for-money fill-in for Digne. The signing of Chelsea flop Alejandro Garnacho is strange from all involved, but in the past, these types of signings have worked for Emery - who is to say Garnacho won’t prove everyone wrong?

The only thing they may lack is the ability to compete on both the domestic and continental fronts - some serious squad depth is needed, and if Emery isn’t given the resources, I can see him opting to focus on the league rather than Europe so he and his side can be better prepared next year. Another Champions League spot would be considered a success, and I reckon Villa have it in them.

Football Park’s Prediction: 4th.