The transfer window has mercilessly come to an end and Aston Villa’s reshaping of the squad is complete.
After a slew of outgoings and ten signings, Unai Emery’s second act has arrived with a new, hungry group of players looking to write their own story in the coming years.
This is a time of optimism and it is therefore easy to view any additions with claret and blue tinted glasses, but inevitably not every transfer will pan out. With that in mind, here is a ranking of Villa’s ten new signings from the summer window:
10. Alejandro Garnacho
Purely looking at his ceiling, Garnacho would be near the top of this list. There is a chance this placement looks stupid in hindsight, but it is more about risk than anything else, stemming from a conditional obligation to buy which could mean Villa have to pay £42.5m for Garnacho next year.
Emery’s reclamation projects have produced mixed results, with Marcus Rashford perhaps the best example of a success story and Jadon Sancho the most underwhelming. It is anyone’s guess whether Garnacho can turn his career around at Villa Park.
If he does not perform, we could be looking at another Harvey Elliott situation, or even worse, what if he plays poorly but the obligation is still triggered? There is real potential upside, but it is a true ‘trust in Emery’ situation and has the biggest bust potential of all Villa’s signings.
9. Joao Gomes
The ranking of Gomes has nothing to do with disastrous debut, although it did not help his case. It is more a question of how he actually slots in Villa’s midfield, and more pertinently, whether he can fill the void left by Youri Tielemans, who he was signed to replace.
Gomes is not a similar player to Tielemans, and with Leon Goretzka subsequently arriving (more on him later) there is a world where he struggles to crack the starting lineup. We could look back on this signing and say he was simply not the right fit for Villa.
8. Matteo Ruggeri
On paper, Ruggeri looks like a worthy replacement for Lucas Digne stylistically, and potentially even an upgrade.
His ranking is due to the fact he looks unlikely to be the starter at present, with Ian Maatsen holding the left-back position down and reportedly set for an improved contract. Ruggeri also cost more than Digne, and there are some questions of how he will adapt to the Premier League.
7. Taylor Harwood-Bellis
Harwood-Bellis is a perfectly fine centre-back signing in a vacuum, but gets dinged somewhat here because he has to replace Ezri Konsa, and he may never get to that level of consistency and reliability. He may even have to wait his turn behind Victor Lindelof for a chance to start.
However, he is inarguably better on the ball and has more tools for Emery to mould than Konsa was thought to have when the manager arrived at Villa Park. The biggest question is whether Harwood-Bellis can make the step up to a much bigger club than he has ever played regularly for.
6. Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Given the fact he is essentially replacing the likes of Andres Garcia and Kosta Nedeljkovic as Villa’s second right-back, Wan-Bissaka gets points straight away simply for his track record at Premier League level.
The upside may not be extremely high, but Villa knows what they are getting in Wan-Bissaka and he should legitimately challenge Matty Cash for the starting right-back position.
5. Leon Goretzka
The signing of Goretzka fills the gaps that Villa’s midfield had following the departure of Tielemans and the injury to Amadou Onana. He was also a free transfer and brings valuable experience and leadership to a team which lost those qualities in droves this summer.
It is not without risk, as Goretzka is clearly on the back nine of his career and taking on the Premier League for the first time at 31-years-old is a bold move. However, this was a very smart signing by Villa and could pay off in a big way if Goretzka still has some juice left in the tank.
4. Ibrahim Mbaye
Mbaye has as high of a ceiling as any player Villa signed this summer. He is a phenomenal talent at just 18-years-old, and with some time and Emery’s tutelage, has the potential to become one of the best wingers in world football.
The only hang up is that he is indeed very young, has started only 14 Ligue 1 games in his career, and cost Villa a hefty transfer fee of £47m. Still, this is a very exciting addition and represents a real coup for the club.
3. Zion Suzuki
In terms of his raw attributes, Suzuki seems a perfect fit to replace Emi Martinez in goal with his stature, ability to claim crosses and produce jaw-dropping reaction saves. He also offers even more than Martinez did with the ball at his feet, which was on full display in his debut against Arsenal.
Suzuki has huge shoes to fill by following Martinez, who was arguably the greatest goalkeeper in Villa’s modern history. He is still learning and will make mistakes along the way, but the potential to be a top ‘keeper is clearly there.
2. Johan Manzambi
The player who kicked off Villa’s transfer window has become a forgotten man, missing the entire preseason with injury. Manzambi is expected to start training with the group this week, and when he is ready to go, should bring plenty of excitement to Villa Park.
It will not be easy to replace Morgan Rogers, and Manzambi is still only 20-years-old, with just one full season as a starter in the Bundesliga under his belt. The natural talent he has is special though, and his versatility will be a huge asset to Emery.
1. Nicolas Jackson
Jackson gets top spot as he ticks every box. He has proven he can score goals in the Premier League, profiles as an upgrade over his predecessor Ollie Watkins and is still young enough at 25 to get even better after reuniting with Emery.
The floor and the ceiling are both high with Jackson. He put in an impressive performance on his debut after just a few days’ notice, and it is difficult to see a world where he fails at Villa.
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