Not Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal, but Aston Villa is the Premier League team that is the most active in the summer 2024 transfer window. The Villa Park team surprised everyone by bringing in 8 new signings including Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen, Cameron Archer, Samuel Iling-Junior, Lewis Dobbin, Jaden Philogene, Enzo Barrenechea, and Ross Barkley.
Notably, except for Ross Barkley, all the signings Aston Villa recruited are under 23 years old. This move shows that Aston Villa is planning for the long-term future after their success in the 2023-2024 season. Despite achieving their highest finish in 28 years, Unai Emery's squad had the fifth-highest average age among the 20 Premier League teams last season (27 years and 149 days).
Key players in Unai Emery's squad like Lucas Digne and Diego Carlos are both over 30 years old. Meanwhile, John McGinn will also turn 30 this October. All are in their prime and have significantly contributed to Aston Villa securing a Champions League spot. However, to maintain and build on that success, Villa Park needs to rejuvenate the squad and bolster their ranks to compete on multiple fronts.
Aston Villa prioritizes players with extensive experience and high competitiveness like Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen. These two signings cost £87.5 million. Villa Park wants young talents to secure starting spots in the main squad next season.
With his mobility and impressive ball recovery ability, Amadou Onana is expected to help Aston Villa's midfield become more solid. According to statistics, the 22-year-old midfielder averaged 3.1 tackles per 90 minutes last season - ranking sixth among Premier League midfielders who played at least 2,000 minutes.
Meanwhile, Ian Maatsen is considered a more modern left-back compared to Lucas Digne. Maatsen tends to play short passes rather than making speedy runs down the flank and crossing into the box. According to Opta Analyst, the Dutch international averaged 1.7 crosses per 90 minutes with a success rate of up to 89.4%. This statistic shows superior efficiency compared to Digne's 4.6 crosses per 90 minutes (success rate of 81.4%).
New signing Enzo Barrenechea is considered the biggest wildcard after his impressive performances at Frosinone. The Argentine midfielder was a key player for the team, starting 32 out of 38 matches in Serie A last season. With his technical and fiery playing style, Barrenechea often plays deep and covers the entire midfield area.
Additionally, Aston Villa is reportedly interested in Joao Felix, Raphinha, and Kalvin Phillips. All three are quality signings with extensive Champions League experience. Unai Emery highly values Felix's talent and wants to recruit the Portuguese star this summer.
In the Premier League, Aston Villa's wage-to-revenue ratio in 2022 and 2023 ranked fourth (89%). However, revenues from the Champions League and player sales will provide them with more flexibility in their wage and transfer budgets. These advantages are helping Unai Emery's squad rejuvenate and significantly bolster their ranks ahead of the 2024-2025 season.
