What needs to happen in the transfer window?published at 12:46
12:46
The transfer window opens on Sunday - albeit for 10 days initially, mainly so sides competing in the Club World Cup can get early business done - before reopening for the rest of the summer on 16 June.
There are a few loan deals that Aston Villa could make permanent, but are there any other players you are desperate for them to sign, or an area of the squad that needs improving? Or maybe holding on to a key player is your biggest priority.
And what about sales - who needs to go?
So over to you... what names need bringing in and shipping out?
What if... the season started in January?published at 11:32
11:32
Nicola Pearson BBC Sport journalist
As the dust settles on the 2024-25 Premier League season, we have been taking a look at some of the alternative ways the the table could have finished...
A Premier League season can sometimes be a tale of two halves.
Some come flying out of the blocks, while others are more sluggish starters.
The busy Christmas period can be a turning point with the arrival of the January transfer window feeling like a fresh start.
So what might have happened if the league season only start on 1 January?
Well, Pep Guardiola's title-winning machines would have picked up their fifth Premier League trophy in a row.
Playing one game fewer than actual champions Liverpool - who secured the title with four games remaining - they would have finished one point clear of the Reds, not withstanding Arne Slot's side slowdown in form after sealing the title.
City always seem to come good after January, but this time it was not enough to outweigh the torrid time they had from late autumn.
The rest of the top six is not too dissimilar to the final placings, although in this case, Aston Villa would have secured Champions League football and Brighton a Europa League spot in the absence of Chelsea - whose form nose-dived at the very beginning of the year.
And while the new year is a new start for some, it is less so for others.
That was the case for many of those down the bottom of the league.
The relegated trio would still have been relegated and Manchester United and Tottenham would still have ended up in the bottom six. West Ham find themselves one place lower after Wolves picked up form under Vitor Pereira.
So what does this tell us? If you wan to achieve your Premier League ambitions, it is about making sure you are there for nine months and not just from January.
*Table data from Football365
'A season of missed opportunities' published at 12:31 29 May
12:31 29 May
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on our fan contributor David Michael's end of season scorecard (27 May, 15:58 BST).
Here are some of your comments:
Tony: Absolutely agree with this assessment. We've played some brilliant football - home to Newcastle, for example - some of the best play I've seen in over 57 years at Villa Park. Yet we then don't turn up in crunch games, and I don't get it. Next season will be trepidation about possibly falling back from what we achieved over the past three seasons. Nervous!
Robert: I give this season a 7/10. While we can take Villa seriously as regular European contenders now, there's more work to do before we're regulars in the Champions League. Our season will be defined by the number of times we've had to get a result from a losing position, but it could've been different if we'd avoided individual defensive mistakes that led to goals conceded or, in the case of the last day, getting our goalkeeper sent off. Champions League regulars are strict on players who make mistakes at that level, and if Villa aspire to become one of them in years to come, that's the mentality we need to adopt.
Tim: My old chap watched Villa with my grandad through the 50s and 60s. He always said, even then, that Villa didn't score enough goals. It's the same this season, our goals-for column is too low. That said, we shipped a lot too. Liam Delap would be a good start at correcting that imbalance.
Prit: Season rating - 7/10. Could have easily been 9/10 but two pivotal games, against Crystal Palace and Manchester United, when the team froze and cost us dearly has lost a lot of goodwill. Our unsung hero has to be Boubacar Kamara. Midfield dynamo who can play across midfield, got us out of a lot of trouble by playing in the back four when we were desperate and is now scoring goals. Kamara is very much the glue that has held Villa together this season.
Russell: The season has been one of missed opportunities. Seeing Newcastle and Palace win trophies, something we haven't managed since 1996, makes me very envious. Missing out on the Champions League in the way we did also sticks in the craw. Overall 7/10.
When will the 2025-26 Premier League fixtures be released? published at 08:21 29 May
08:21 29 May
Image source, Getty Images
The BBC's Ask Me Anything team have done all of the research ahead of the announcement detailing next season's Premier League matches.
The fixtures for the 2025-26 season will be released at 09:00 BST on Wednesday,18 June 2025 and the release will include the weekly schedule of all 380 matches.
The season will begin with a single fixture played on Friday, 15 August 2025 and conclude on Sunday, 24 May 2026, when all matches will be played at 16:00 BST. There will be 33 weekend rounds of fixtures, plus five midweek rounds.
The exact date and time at which individual matches are played during each weekend will be determined at regular intervals throughout the season, based on TV selections made by broadcasters.
What is your Villa moment of the season?published at 15:51 28 May
15:51 28 May
Mike Taylor BBC Radio WM reporter
Image source, Getty Images
When do you know you belong somewhere?
The Champions League fixture list confirmed Villa were not imagining it - the first win, in the chocolate-box scenery of Bern, seemed almost too easy. Was this all for real? Villa had made it to this level all right, but now they needed to really arrive.
With a little over 10 minutes to go in their second game, against Bayern Munich, it happened. It was all the more sensational because only one man, Jhon Duran himself, could possibly have known what was going to happen.
And yet, even he could not have realised as he ran on to Pau Torres' pass, how his life was about to change. With Manuel Neuer – Manuel Neuer! – advancing towards him, barely taking a glance at the target, Duran hooked the ball around a defender, over Neuer, into the North Stand goal.
Villa Park exploded. Duran, now instantly famous all over Europe, stood as if modelling for his own statue while his team fell around him. As it happened, it took a moment of utter football fantasy to make Aston Villa's Champions League status feel like reality.
At Villa's end-of-season awards, John McGinn won the prize for goal of the season.
"I feel a bit of a fraud to be honest, because that's not the best goal of the season," he said when handed the award.
After taking almost half a season to start a league game last season, the Belgium midfielder has been Villa's only ever-present starter this time around.
A revelation under Unai Emery, he is now very much the heartbeat of the team. His deeper role limits headline stats, but his influence has been essential for Villa.
Emery shows 'dignity' despite 'sour taste' - Nevinpublished at 09:52 28 May
09:52 28 May
Pat Nevin Former footballer and presenter
Image source, Getty Images
Newcastle stumbled over the line to qualify for the Champions League after a poor display at home, in the end having to depend on Aston Villa slipping up against Manchester United. A stupid backpass left Villa with 10 men and a mountain to climb at Old Trafford but then came the moment of the weekend.
The goal Villa had disallowed could have put them in the lead. It could have delivered three points and their own place in the Champions League but it was incorrectly ruled out.
Most football lovers will know that when the referee blows his whistle, the game has officially stopped. There are no exceptions, even if seconds later the ball is in the net and the referee has erred badly. VAR is not allowed to interfere.
It's not the first time this has happened to grotesquely effect the outcome of a game but to turn an exciting season on its head and spoil an entire campaign for one side and all its fans, this must be close to unique blunder.
Maybe the rule has to be tweaked, maybe young referees need more training to learn how to deal with these rare situations. Maybe VAR should be allowed some discretion to get involved, but VAR was brought into clarify rules and the rules were adhered too.
This unfortunate situation left a sour taste and then some, but praise at least to Unai Emery once again. In his first interviews post match he dealt with it all with dignity. If only everyone else could take a leaf from his book.
To lose out unfairly and by nothing more than goal difference, not even a single point, at the end of a season must be incredibly hard to bear, but he did.
Which teams put a shift in this season?published at 08:03 28 May
08:03 28 May
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
Bournemouth and Tottenham were the most physical teams in the Premier League this season when considering the distance they covered and the number of sprints performed.
The results might explain why they had a lot of injuries.
Newcastle and Brighton were not too far behind though, with Brighton actually covering the most ground in the league, with fewer sprints.
Chelsea and Liverpool's style of play saw them sprint a lot but not cover a lot of ground, while Manchester City and Arsenal were the opposite (ran a lot but didn't sprint a lot).
Nottingham Forest very much had their own style of play this season as they both ran and sprinted the least.
Gossip: Villa set to sign teenage Feyenoord forwardpublished at 07:24 28 May
07:24 28 May
Aston Villa look poised to sign Feyenoord's 18-year-old Dutch striker Zepiqueno Redmond on a free transfer this summer. (Sky Sports, external)
Fan scorecard: Unsung hero? Happy with Emery?published at 15:58 27 May
15:58 27 May
David Michael Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
Season Rating: 8/10 - mainly for the season being full of possibility right until the final few weeks. For the owners and Unai Emery, it will potentially be seen as a step back though.
Happy with your manager? Emery is clearly Villa's best chance of achieving top-level success. However, a developing pattern has emerged of the team choking in high-stakes games where they were favourites, producing poor and hesitant performances - Olympiakos, Monaco (when a result was needed to secure a top-eight finish), the FA Cup semi-final, and now Manchester United.
Is this the manager's fault, or have his players let him down?
Unsung hero: John McGinn - he has been in the odd position where despite being the captain, in a fully fit squad, he doesn't necessarily have an automatic starting position. This season could have been one of transition for him, with the midfielder being phased out, but McGinn has been vital to keep Villa going through a tough season.
Player you would most like to sign: Villa have the team to help Liam Delap kick on, considering he scored 12 goals for a relegated Premier League team at the age of just 22. He has the game and predatory spirit that would suit Villa. But there is a queue forming for his services, which will push his price beyond being decent value.
Right now, my overriding emotion from the season is: In isolation, it has been an enjoyable season, mainly for the Champions League adventure. Looking ahead, because of how the season ended, the main feeling for the bigger picture is one of trepidation and it being a potential sliding doors moment.
Next season features a Champions League now with 30% of the Premier League in it. That is six teams with a chance of better revenue than Villa and the ability to offer players top-tier European football in the summer transfer window. Not ideal.
'Controversy and acrimony of defeat'published at 15:57 27 May
15:57 27 May
Image source, Getty Images
Here's my quick assessment of Aston Villa's Premier League season - and a return to my August predictions.
Pre-season prediction: 9th
Ended the season: 6th
Aston Villa's fine season ended in the controversy and acrimony of defeat at Manchester United and that disallowed effort from Morgan Rogers, ending their hopes of a second successive season in the Champions League, where they reached the quarter-finals this term.
Unai Emery still produces work that should be the envy of clubs such as Manchester United and Tottenham. He will continue to demand progress under Villa's ambitious owners.
There was certainly a tinge of disappointment in Villa's conclusion, with the mystifying 'no-show' in the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley a big blot - then that final day defeat - but Emery has transformed Villa and, with outstanding youngsters such as Rogers, there is still much to be satisfied about.
What I said in August: "Champions League football will put an additional strain on Emery's squad but I fancy top four again."
Bramall appointed 'on merit' - Foypublished at 14:09 27 May
14:09 27 May
Media caption,
Former Premier League referee Chris Foy said Thomas Bramall's decision on Sunday was an "unfortunate incident" but that many referees "would have given a foul in that situation".
Bramall blew for a foul when Morgan Rogers nudged the ball away from Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir before the Villa midfielder put the ball in the net.
Bramall thought Bayindir had two hands on the ball, though television footage suggested otherwise, and because he stopped play before the ball crossed the line, the video assistant referee (VAR) could not intervene.
Foy told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club he was "impressed" by Bramall's showing in Manchester City's 3-1 win over Bournemouth on 20 May - a match that featured a straight red card for each side.
Foy added: "He's been given the [Villa] game on merit, he was worthy of his appointment.
"Unfortunately we're talking about one decision because he made a really good decision to send the goalkeeper off and took his time to give the penalty.
"He was going really well but unfortunately we're talking about this one decision."
Former Villa goalkeeper Shay Given said Bramall will "learn" and "grow" from this situation.
"Let's not forget Thomas Bramall is a human being," he added.
"I find it more difficult when VAR with all different angles make wrong decisions. This guy has just made a human error, it's more forgivable."
Professional Game Match Officials Limited told BBC Sport it does not comment on why individual appointments for matches are made.
According to the PGMOL appointments policy, all match officials must submit a declaration of interests form before the start of each season.
Match officials, video assistant referees and assistant video assistant referees are only eligible to officiate games that do not involve a club for which they have a conflict of interest.
This includes clubs they support, have played competitive matches for at first-team level or clubs from the same town or city, excluding London, where the official lives.
The policy also states officials cannot be involved in a match that directly involves a club "which has a strong association with a club for which an interest has been declared".
It is up to PGMOL's discretion to determine if a club has a strong association with that other club.
PGMOL chief refereeing officer Howard Webb can also vary the appointments at his discretion.
Do Villa lack 'bottle' in big games?published at 14:32 26 May
14:32 26 May
Richard Sutherland Fan writer
Our Aston Villa fan contributor has his say on defeat at Manchester United and missing out on a place in the Champions League and questions the mentality of the squad in some bigger games...
A 'mindset issue' and Martinez 'ignored his duties to the team'published at 12:15 26 May
12:15 26 May
Image source, Getty Images
After an eventful final game of the season saw Aston Villa miss out on Champions League football by the narrowest of margins, we asked you for your feelings on the result and season.
Here are some of your comments:
Lee: Emi Martinez has let the club down massively and the performance at Old Trafford was completely spineless. It was in the team's hands and they choked massively. Europa League is still an accomplishment, however, it could have been more and it's disappointing to have seen such a poor performance against an awful side!
Nick: As has happened before with Emery and Villa, that was a mindset issue. Manchester United away. Manchester City away. Setting up tactically against a reputation, not the current shambles of what is in front of you. We shouldn't even talk about that referee. This self-inflicted failure was born from a lack of confidence that starts from the top. This is why the fans are frustrated, and as Spurs fans know well, the reputation of bottling it is hard to shift mentally. We'll see what happens next season but I'd expect big (and not necessarily good) enforced transfers. Missed opportunity.
David: Martinez is a terrific goalkeeper but that challenge was irresponsible and he ignored his duties to the team. If Emery was annoyed with the referee, he should have been furious with his keeper because that sending off has denied Villa Champions league qualification more so than the disallowed goal.
Kevin: Yet again, the players let us down when it matters. Unai is a great manager but he cannot pick the right team at crucial games. Losing out on Champions League will jeopardise any chances of attracting players of the calibre we will need to push on, so we will need to sell players we need to keep and end up keeping the duds.
Jonny: If Martinez leaves so he can play Champions League football, when he could have had it at Villa if it weren't for his mistake, I'll be fuming. I hope that wasn't his last moment for Villa. It's insane that common sense didn't prevail with Morgan Rogers' 'goal'. One nil up and we'd have defended rabidly for 20 minutes. Likely would have been a different result. Infuriating!
'It's just not good enough' - Richards on disallowed Rodgers goalpublished at 11:20 26 May
All-time Premier League leading scorer Alan Shearer told Match of the Day: "You'd be absolutely raging - and rightly so.
"The referee has blown too early. Once he's blown the whistle VAR can't intervene. It's a huge error.
"The goalkeeper makes an absolute mess of it. He parries it and he never has control of that ball at any time. I understand the anger, I really, really do."
Former Villa defender Micah Richards added: "It's a howler. The referee has blown and if you actually look he's not in control.
"He [the goalkeeper] has made a mistake and he [Rodgers] has pounced on it. It should have been a goal - it's a simple as that.
"To have a goal disallowed is just not good enough.
"Referees make mistakes and we accept that, but we know with VAR it gives you an opportunity [to correct them]. So just calm down - don't blow too early."
Highlights and analysis from Sunday's 10 final day Premier League fixtures.
'A day when it just all went wrong'published at 10:49 26 May
10:49 26 May
Sarah Mulkerrins Final Score reporter at Old Trafford
Image source, Getty Images
Speaking to fans beforehand, despite their superior form, there were concerns about Aston Villa's poor record at Old Trafford, with just two wins in the past 39 matches there.
When Villa were struggling to get on the ball and out of their own half early on, this began to loom a little in my mind.
Unai Emery spent the first half alternating between periods of gesticulating wildly and then staring blankly into the distance, arms folded, as he tried to figure out why his team were struggling.
This was even before he saw his keeper red carded, a moment of madness from Emi Martinez, sent off for careering into Rasmus Hojlund.
Emery was then yellow carded himself, reacting angrily to Morgan Rogers' effort being controversially disallowed.
Confusion reigned around the ground and the mood went from bad to worse, as Manchester United went on to score twice, ending Villa's Champions League dreams.
The frustrations with the officiating were clear at full-time, but there will also be frustrations over Villa's lack of a performance over the whole game.
'So simple because it's a goal' - Brownpublished at 08:39 26 May
08:39 26 May
Image source, Getty Images
Former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown has branded the incident involving Morgan Rogers 'goal' on Sunday "just ridiculous".
Rogers nudged the ball away from Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir as he attempted to gather it and put slotted it into the net. However, referee Thomas Bramall blew for a foul, thinking Bayindir had two hands on the ball, though television footage showed otherwise.
Because Bramall stopped play before the ball entered the net, the video assistant referee (VAR) could not intervene and the goal did not stand.
"I feel so sorry for them," said Brown on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "I can't believe that the decision can't be overturned because someone in the VAR building should have done the right thing.
"It is so simple because it is a goal."
Despite the defeat at Old Trafford costing Villa a place in next season's Champions League, Unai Emery was measured and composed when speaking to the media post-match, simply saying: "We have to accept referee mistakes."
"I thought the way Emery dealt with it was excellent," former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson added. "You can imagine what his emotions would have been like after the final whistle, especially knowing his team had missed out on Champions League football because of it.
"To front up to the media and be as humble as he was, I can only praise him.
"He is right that referees are only human beings and they will make mistakes, but they have been given the tools this season to reduce the amount of mistakes.
'Villa fury at £100m blunder' - Monday's back pagespublished at 08:38 26 May
08:38 26 May
Alongside Liverpool lifting the Premier League trophy, the other big story dominating Monday's back pages is the controversial decision not to allow a Morgan Rogers' 'goal' against Manchester United with the score level at 0-0.
Referee Thomas Bramall blew his whistle because he thought Rogers had kicked the ball out of the hands of United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir. As that decision was made before Rogers scored, it meant the video assistant referee could not get involved.
The Telegraph and The Times focus on the potential financial cost of Villa missing out on the Champions League while The Express and The Mirror focus on the official complaint the club have made to the Premier League about the refereeing appointment.
