Aston Villa

It's that time of the year again - the annual act of foolishness in which I try to predict the outcome of the 2024-25 season for all 20 Premier League clubs.

Aston Villa - fourth

I tipped Aston Villa to finish fifth last season based on Unai Emery's expertise. He went one better and put them in the Champions League, a superb achievement.

I believe they will stay in the top four, having broken through that glass ceiling. An ambitious club with a top-class manager and a developing squad.

Douglas Luiz will be a loss after leaving for Juventus but plenty of quality remains elsewhere. Ollie Watkins is a proven Premier League marksman who also demonstrated his ability with England at Euro 2024.

Amadou Onana's £50m capture from Everton is intriguing. He flattered to deceive so often at Goodison Park but plenty of sound judges rate the gifted Belgium midfielder as a genuine star of the future. Ross Barkley's return has the element of a punt about it but he was cheap at £5m and showed his class at Luton Town last season.

Ian Maatsen is a smart capture from Chelsea, the Dutch left-back having helped Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final during his loan spell last season.

Champions League football will put an additional strain on Emery's squad but I fancy top four again.

Read all of Phil's predictions here

Aston Villa are working on a deal to sign 19-year-old Colombia defender Yeimar Mosquera from Orsomarso SC in his country's top flight. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport football statistician

Aston Villa’s incredible campaign last season saw them clinch their first top-four finish in the Premier League for 28 years - but their stats suggest there are still areas Unai Emery will want to improve on.

While they ranked highly in most metrics – and fourth in the most important one of all, points – the only other stat where they ranked in the top four was in the low number of shots they gave up, thanks to the delightfully infuriating offside trap that Emery has implemented.

Only the top two were more ruthless in front of goal last time out – with the Villans overperforming their xG by 11 goals – so fans will hope that Ollie Watkins and company have taken good care of their shooting boots over the summer.

David Michael
Fan writer

Where will you finish in the league and why?

Sixth. I do not think Villa have added enough at the moment to stay in the top four, while making a fist of the Champions League. With the midfield axis of Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara gone, which was key to Villa's success last season, Villa will need to evolve their new-look midfield fast. That said, after fading at the back end of last season, they have freshened things up in a positive manner.

Who is the best signing or has he not signed yet and who should it be?

Sticking to actual signings, Amadou Onana. The 22-year-old is at the heart of Villa's midfield evolution. It is not necessarily based on what he has already done, but what the Belgium international could go on to do. He carries the weight of a reported £50m transfer fee, but if he imposes himself and strengthens the midfield, then Villa letting go of 2-0 leads should be a thing of the past. He is technically impressive too for a 6ft 5in player and he is certainly the key to Villa progressing this season.

What do you want from your manager this season?

You would love a trophy, but some good scalps in the Champions League would be very welcome, as would qualifying for Europe for a third straight season.

Who will be the breakout star in your squad?

After full seasons in the Championship with both Cardiff and Hull, returning Villa academy player Jaden Philogene is both battle-ready and playing without fear. Emery has obviously given the winger reinsurances in terms of playing time and he certainly could surprise a few people.

What is your one major concern?

An over-reliance on Ollie Watkins and the corresponding lack of first-rate proven striker options. The England forward rarely gets injured, but this is such a high-stakes season to take chances.

David Michael can be found at My Old Man Said, external

Image source, Reuters

Manchester City trio Erling Haaland, Rodri and Phil Foden are on the six-man shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Assocation Player of the Year award for 2023-24.

They helped City win a fourth successive Premier League title, with Haaland ending as the division's top scorer and Foden's contribution earning him the Football Writers' Association player of the year award in May.

Norway striker Haaland won the PFA award in 2022-23.

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, Chelsea forward Cole Palmer and Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins complete the shortlist for the PFA prize, with the winner being announced on 20 August.

The nominees are:

• Phil Foden (Manchester City)

• Erling Haaland (Manchester City)

• Martin Odegaard (Arsenal)

• Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

• Rodri (Manchester City)

• Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

After a long summer break, BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club is back in action this evening.

Tune in as the panel cover all the major talking points from the summer and look ahead to Premier League football returning at the weekend.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

The curtain opens on the 2024-25 Premier League season in just a matter of days, so why not take a look at how all 20 clubs performed in pre-season?

The games have been spread across the globe, from Tokyo and New York to Crawley and Preston.

See the results here

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's pre-season friendly between Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund.

Here are some of your comments:

Paul: Pluses and minuses again but every other team has taken the pre-season more seriously than us. Still need to strengthen in defence and attack because it looks like we can't rely on Diego Carlos and Jhon Duran. Need a serious step up in levels for West Ham and particularly Arsenal.

Ash: Not a great result, these are the teams we could be facing in the Champions League, so not a confidence booster. Villa need to improve rapidly.

Philip: I think that Villa have a hangover from last season and new players have not yet become used to the team dynamics. I also think Douglas Luiz is a big loss. Hopefully it will all come together on Saturday.

Marshy: Worrying set of results and this one no different. Good opposition granted, but with so many changes over the summer it’s going to be very difficult to recreate the team from last season. Of course, in Unai we trust, but I think he has his work cut out this time around.

Isaac: Not drawing too much from this, despite the loss. We’ll have Ollie Watkins back after his time in the Euros and his absence was probably a main reason why we lost.

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa's pre-season campaign ended in disappointment as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat at Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund.

Two goals in three first-half minutes did the damage but otherwise Unai Emery's side acquitted themselves well at Signal Iduna Park.

So what did you learn from this game, Villa fans?

Are Unai Emery's side ready for the big kick-off next weekend?

Let us know your thoughts on the match here, external - and return on Monday to read the submissions

The Premier League season is fast approaching and clubs are continuing their pre-season preparations.

Here's a look at some of the teams in action on a busy Saturday.

All times BST

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham have had a bid rejected for Aston Villa defender Diego Carlos.

Fulham are looking at a number of possibilities to strengthen their centre-back options after Tosin Adarabioyo left for Chelsea on a free transfer and Tim Ream joined Charlotte FC.

The Cottagers completed the signing of Jorge Cuenca earlier this week from Villarreal as they look to bolster their squad ahead of the new season.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport Football News Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Dominic Solanke's impending transfer to Tottenham from Bournemouth could set the dominoes falling for other moves.

The Cherries hold an interest in Aston Villa's Cameron Archer, who returned to Villa Park this summer after a season at Sheffield United.

They had no plans to add to their forward line while Solanke was at the club but his expected departure drastically changes the landscape at the Vitality Stadium.

Archer re-joined Villa in June after Sheffield United were relegated, which triggered the clause for his return after he joined the Blades for £18m last summer. The striker scored four goals in 21 Premier League starts for United.

Villa's forward line remains thin, though, with little central back up for Ollie Watkins.

Jhon Duran remains at the club - despite summer interest from West Ham, who signed Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund this week.

Archer's immediate future is likely to be tied to whether Duran remains in Birmingham as the club will not leave themselves short up front so close to the start of the season.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery wants to sign 24-year-old Portugal forward Joao Felix, who is keen to leave Atletico Madrid. (BirminghamLive), external

Fulham have stepped up their interest in Aston Villa defender Diego Carlos. The 31-year-old Brazilian is expected to leave before the transfer window shuts and Villa are open to offers. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Right now, brinkmanship is the name of the game. There have been times when some clubs sorted their transfer business early in the window and everyone wondered why so few others followed their lead. Put simply, it isn't in the selling clubs' financial interest, and it usually isn't in the moving player's financial interest either, to go early.

A selling club wants a bidding war to up the price and they don't mind a bit of panic buying when the window is creaking ever nearer the sill. If you still haven't signed that star player who you think, hope or maybe even actually believe, will make all the difference, clubs can get twitchy and make rash costly decisions.

I have watched it happen from within. Good intentions and a willingness to stick to a pre-arranged budget, suddenly evaporates when clubs are bounced into making these calls. There is also a bit of pride in there too. "We aren't losing out on our first choice to that lot!" is a common refrain, especially when it's to one of your close rivals.

As for the moving player, or more specifically his agent, last-minute brinkmanship is the dream scenario. Playing two or three suitors off against each other (and you don't even have to tell the truth of what you are being offered elsewhere) means you can exaggerate as much as you like to up the ante.

So that is why the deals go to the wire, and why they are so lucrative. It is also why I never have too much sympathy for a player, when a huge deal falls through at the last moment. Greed can push it too far in the end and it can all come crashing down, which is why they call it brinkmanship! If you dance on the edge of a volcano you might just fall in.

We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's friendly between Aston Villa and Athletic Bilbao.

Here are some of your comments:

David: Academy products Ramsey, Philogene and Archer on the scoresheet, Buendia looking sharp. I haven't been this optimistic since... well, last pre-season before they all got sold/injured. Nedeljkovic looks rapid and should be good with a bit of Emery schooling.

Pete: Much more like it. Our build-up play looked like last season again, that familiar Foxtrot rhythm - slow, slow, quick, quick, quick.

Nick: Can't tell too much from pre-season, but looking a little sharper and some of the youngsters look like they might get some more first team game time this season. Still think we are short of a centre-back.

Janice: Great win for Villa. Rogers is starting to sparkle, he is going to be a class player. Kosta Nedeljkovic proved why he will start ahead of Cash, he defends and his pace when he goes forward is unbelievable.

Simon: Thought we played well. Some of the passing early on and especially those moves which let to Ramsey's and Jaden's goals were great. A lot to look forward to, especially with Watkins, Martinez, Konsa and others coming back into the team. Roll on Dortmund on Saturday...

Image source, Getty Images

Cameron Archer scored a late winner to earn the Villains a win in their penultimate pre-season game.

What did you learn from this game, Aston Villa fans?

Let us know your thoughts on the match here, external

Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne has rejected a proposal to join Galatasaray. The 31-year-old Frenchman is expected to remain with Villa. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa full-back Kaine Kesler Hayden has joined Preston North End on a season-long loan.

The 21-year-old Villa academy product captained the club to FA Youth Cup victory in 2021 and made three Premier League appearances last season.

He was part of Unai Emery's first-team squad on their recent tour of the USA and has previously had loan spells at Swindon Town, MK Dons, Huddersfield Town and most recently Plymouth Argyle.

Aston Villa's English goalkeeper James Wright, 19, is in talks to join Real Union, who play in Spain's third tier, on loan this season. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Former Aston Villa striker Bobby Thomson has died aged 87.

Dundee-born Thomson was with Villa between 1959 and 1963, scoring 70 goals in 172 appearances, and was part of the team that won the inaugural League Cup in 1961.

The club said in a statement, external that it was "deeply saddened" by the news and added: "The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Bobby's family and friends at this difficult time."