In the aftermath of ending a 30-year wait for silverware and qualifying for the Champions League once again, Aston Villa have been rocked by player exits and injuries, forcing them into an unexpected rebuild.
Youri Tielemans, Villa’s metronomic midfield maestro who Unai Emery once referred to as his son, has joined Manchester United in a £35m deal.
Chelsea have agreed a record-breaking £117m deal to sign Morgan Rogers and Amadou Onana looks set to miss the season before a ball has been kicked after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament while away at the World Cup with Belgium.
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Take a look at the best goals Morgan Rogers scored during the 2025/26 Premier League season
The exits do not stop there either. Lucas Digne, 32, also looks ready to depart, with Paris Saint-Germain ready to trigger the £8.5m release clause inserted in his contract.
Four players who made a total of 172 appearances for Villa last season now leave four gaping holes in the heart of Emery’s side.
It has been a turbulent start to the summer, and here, Sky Sports analyses it all…
Nightmare window or well-needed rebuild?
Any sale can prompt panic but Villa’s situation is unique given the calibre of player they are losing.
Rogers has risen to hero status at Villa Park. Since joining from Middlesbrough in January 2024, he has skyrocketed from young prospect to a fully-fledged England international, capable of delivering in emphatic style on the Premier League stage.
Villa were aware Europe’s elite were circling and the £117m offer, which is set to beat Elliot Anderson’s British record transfer to Manchester City, could not be turned down.
While undoubtedly one of the premium talents in English football, the return of 14 goals in 55 appearances last season can be replaced. Especially when considering the financial boost his sale will provide Emery with.
Tielemans’ exit, however, will sting. The midfielder was integral to their style of play, providing calmness on the ball and an innate ability to unlock defences with a vision and passing ability that will be difficult to replace. Without him, Villa’s win rate drops from 53 per cent to 41 per cent.
The club did not want to sell and keeping the core of their Europa League-winning side together, with Tielemans and Rogers scoring on that famous night in Istanbul, was always preferred. But rather than fine-tuning the squad this summer, their hand will now be forced into a rebuild.
Who are Villa recruiting?
They had the second-highest average age in the top flight last season at 28, and the shift in recruitment is already clear to see.
Villa are entering a new era under Emery and although it arrives in unfortunate circumstances, the early signs have already been exciting.
In anticipation of Rogers’ exit, they pounced on Newcastle’s deal for Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi and have now completed a club-record £59.5m move to sign the promising 20-year-old.
Aston Villa have signed Johan Manzambi from Freiburg
He was a breakout star with Switzerland at the World Cup, scoring two goals and adding two assists before suffering an injury which sidelined him for the 3-1 loss to Argentina in the quarter-finals.
“We have a diamond now in our attack. A street footballer, the kind who needs to be given freedom,” former Freiburg and Switzerland player Bruno Berner told Sky Sports regarding Manzambi. “We can use him flexibly, more defensively in midfield, but also on the wing.”
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Take a look at five of Johan Manzambi’s best moments for Freiburg in the Bundesliga with the 20-year-old becoming the youngest player to reach five goal involvements at a World Cup since records began in 1966
A tantalising prospect when you consider Emery’s affinity for getting the very best out of players, especially those as malleable as their new 20-year-old “diamond”.
Villa have also agreed a £38m deal to sign Joao Gomes, 25, from Wolves and are in the race to add Joao Palhinha on loan to their ranks, with the building blocks of their new-look midfield now being pieced together.
Manzambi and Joao Gomes breathe life into an ageing squad. Palhinha’s arrival would add top-flight experience and crucial leadership to the ranks.
Consider Boubacar Kamara’s potential return after being sidelined since January with a knee injury, dressed in the No 8 shirt once donned by Tielemans, and you have the makings of an engine room capable of competing across all fronts.
The swift and efficient business unfolding from the Second City points to a team that was prepared for upheaval, rather than one reacting in panic.
Digne has been solid since joining from Everton in 2022 but as he approaches his 33rd birthday and with Ian Maatsen waiting in the wings, an exit marks the best outcome for both parties.
Rogers’ departure, meanwhile, does leave a seismic gap going forward.
Armed with the significant transfer fee the club will receive, as well as the squad being better placed than it was when Jack Grealish made his £100m move to Man City in similar circumstances, Villa are primed to reinforce and a move for a winger is reportedly set to accelerate.
Selling some of the finest talents in your squad can never be viewed as a blessing, but in these particular circumstances, it should not be seen as a curse either.
Unai Emery clashes with Youri Tielemans during Aston Villa’s Europa League win over Fenerbache
Emery has never shied away from a challenge…
Emery is well-versed in weathering this kind of storm and has a proven track record of dealing with blows of this nature.
Tielemans and Rogers are just the latest names he will be tasked with replacing. Jacob Ramsey, Jhon Duran, Moussa Diaby and Douglas Luiz all left – and the hysteria of replacing them followed.
But with Emery, the man who masterminded Villa’s rise from the threat of relegation when he arrived, to that famous night in Istanbul to win the Europa League, the club have a calm figure at the helm who will work tirelessly to find a solution.
Aston Villa players celebrate their Europa League triumph
His team went goalless across their first four Premier League games last season, with their first effort in the league coming in a 1-1 draw against Sunderland on September 21.
Even his confidence wavered in that period as he sat the team down and admitted he was worried. But they went from the darkness of their miserable start to the elation of ending the trophy drought at the club to bookmark the campaign.
Emery has never shied away from a challenge and replacing Tielemans and Rogers is simply the latest. Full focus will be on ensuring Villa build on the foundation of their recent success, rather than reminiscing about it in years to come.
Unai Emery kisses the Europa League trophy after Aston Villa’s win
Your views!
Daz: No player is bigger than the club. If Rogers wants to go, then bye! But £117m seems low. £130m would be appropriate; however, the club knows what they value him. Chelsea seems a strange choice, not in Europe? In Unai we trust!
Stuart: We had an ageing squad, and desperately needed to add to it. Losing Tielemans is a big blow bit Emery will find the right players. Rogers was patchy last season and can be replaced. Need a left back, another midfielder and at least two wingers. Would like Summerville and Rashford.
Matt C: Emery must have the final say on departures so if he’s signed it off then trust the man that’s got us European football.
WJ: A rebuild was always inevitable. This squad is ageing and after years of meticulous Emery coaching a squad shakeup is probably needed. He’s taken this crop of players and achieved what the club would have asked of him: a trophy. Being a constant Champions League club will be the next aim.
GAVFC: I’m very optimistic about the changes because I trust that Unai can keep us competitive. Tielemans and Rogers are the perfect players to sell because of their wages and Rogers’ transfer price. UTV.
Sam: We’ve the oldest squad in the league and some very highly paid players. A rebuild is needed and no better time than now With Champions League football next season. Rogers was so hot and cold. £117m is a brilliant bit of business for us.
