Aston Villa

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We asked for your views on one thing nobody is talking about at Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Dave: Two things in football it is said that shouldn't happen during a game. Players being caught offside when they can see across the back line. The other is a GK being beaten at the near post. Why then does Emi Martinez, arguably the best in the world and loved at the Villa, get beaten so often there?

Rob: Since Leon Bailey said he wanted a move to a London club in March last year, he's only scored three goals in the league - two of which were last season. His form's really gone downhill and he's been lucky to have started some games this season, so once Ascensio's loan spell ends I think Unai needs to look at getting a new right winger in the summer.

Robbie: We have the second best number six in the league in Boubacar Kamara - people do not understand how vital Bouba is to the way we play and how much he wins that ball.

Nick: Goalkeeping cover. Whenever there is an injury to Martinez we turn to Robin Olsen, who is not a Premier League level goalkeeper.

Taylor: Villa are a good team, but we are also a lucky team. Our finishing position last season owed more to the failures of other teams and nothing to our performances in the last few matches. We are also lucky to be top eight. What is usually not stated is that Emery is fallible: too often our team looks tired, losing 50:50s, giving the ball away, losing goals to the first and last attacks of the other side. Avoidable stuff. He is, of course, the best manager we have had for ages, and we are fortunate to have him. But the team on the field too often look as if they are not as well coached or trained as they could be.

Mike: Chelsea and City were built overnight without financial restriction, and the top teams (from a financial perspective) as a whole find themselves in their fortuitous positions as a direct result of being able to spend freely. Villa and Newcastle have more than enough financial clout to do the aforementioned, but have been heavily restricted to the point where we never had, and still don't have, a fair crack of the whip!

It was a busy finish to the transfer window at Aston Villa, with a lot of incomings.

You know your club best, so we want to know the one thing - good or bad - nobody is talking about but really should be.

Let us know here

Marcus Rashford could lose as much as 100% of the sponsorship money he receives from Nike because the sportswear giant considers Aston Villa a lower category of club than Manchester United. Nike could also ask him to partially pay back signing-on fees. (Mail Plus - subscription required), external

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David Michael
Fan writer

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Aston Villa's January window, despite its frantic deadline-day finish, can ultimately be classed as a smart and calculated exercise in squad management.

The club needed to address key weaknesses and potentially up the level of the team without committing to long-term financial burdens, given the uncertainty of Champions League qualification next season.

On paper, at least, the club has exceeded expectations in nailing this equation.

Going into January, Villa's squad had clear deficiencies in depth - needing a right-back and a centre-back. Despite having to go down their list of preferable targets, they managed to fill both positions with the arrivals of Andres Garcia and Axel Disasi.

The outgoing Jhon Duran, Villa's top scorer with 12 goals, opened up the opportunity for an attacking rethink. Since Duran has proven the ace up Villa's sleeve in the Champions League, in an ideal world he would have left in the summer, but his departure necessitated immediate reinforcements to give Villa a chance in Europe.

Donyell Malen's arrival from Borussia Dortmund had been a welcome upgrade on Jaden Philogene, but Villa needed a lot more to make a dent in the Champions League business end.

The departure of Emi Buendia certainly paved the way for Unai Emery to make a serious move for triple Champions League winner Marco Asensio, a player he has long admired and who could prove integral in implementing the manager's desired playing style.

Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford will hopefully replace Duran's goals while offering versatility in various attacking set-ups, potentially giving Emery greater flexibility.

Both Rashford and Asensio also bring more of an elite winning mentality, a quality at times this season that Emery has frustratingly felt his team lacked.

However, the final verdict on the window will be seen on the pitch.

Rashford, Asensio and Disasi had all been frozen out of their respective teams, leading to questions over their match sharpness and present temperament.

If they quickly regain their best form, then Emery could potentially transform Villa into a real force in the final months of the season.

There is certainly plenty of upside to a multiple loan gamble that will not impact harshly on Villa's long-term finances.

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Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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Unai Emery has continued his outstanding work at Aston Villa by automatically taking them into the Champions League last 16. European competition has left the occasional hangover for Premier League form, but they are still right in contention for the top four.

Emery's fierce ambition was clear in his demands for reinforcements, especially after the £65m departure of maverick striker Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

Arsenal's advances for England striker Watkins were rebuffed, leaving Villa to back Emery's ambition with key signings as the transfer window closed.

Emery's track record of revitalising players will have Villa hoping he can get Marcus Rashford's career back on track following his loan move from Manchester United, while Marco Asensio, a three-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, will add experience and street wisdom.

Axel Disasi, another loan signing from Chelsea, would fulfil the need to strengthen in central defence while Donyell Malan's arrival from Borussia Dortmund will add width and attacking quality.

Read Phil's full deadline day assessment

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BBC chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions on all things Premier League.

Matt from Birmingham asked: How do you feel about Rashford's loan to Villa? Good opportunity to rediscover his form? Or a mistake for Villa to cover most of his wages, considering how poor he has been for the last year?

Phil answered: I actually think is a gamble worth taking by Aston Villa and a great opportunity for Marcus Rashford at an ambitious club with a real desire to pursue big prizes under an outstanding manager in Unai Emery.

It is an expensive short-term commitment by Villa, but they will have weighed up the financial aspects and if it works out it will be money well spent.

Rashford's career has, unfortunately, lost its way at Manchester United, head coach Ruben Amorim making that crystal clear in a series of brutal reflections on the player.

What we do know is that Rashford has great talent, can score and make goals – and will now be working under a manager with a proven track record of improving players in Emery.

It is up to Rashford to make it work. You can be sure he will get all the help and support (and maybe even some tough love when needed) from Emery.

Read more of Phil McNulty's Q&A here

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton says Aston Villa have taken "a risk" signing Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United, adding he believes the 27-year-old has "a lot to prove" at Villa Park.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Sutton said: "We will find out, won't we? I think Marcus has a lot to prove, and I wouldn't normally say that about a player like him. It is a risk from Aston Villa.

"Unai Emery feels he can get Marcus fully focused again and, if that happens, there is no doubting the ability he has.

"Marcus Rashford is on trial because there is the option for him to move permanently in the summer."

The Athletic's chief soccer correspondent Rory Smith added: "It is about Rashford finding an environment where he can thrive again. The allegation from Ruben Amorim was that he is not trying in training, but we don't know exactly what that means.

"There are suggestions his personal life has become a bit of an obstacle for him to overcome. But because that is all whisper and gossip, we don't fully know.

"Either way, it was clear it wasn't changing at Manchester United, so maybe you need to just go somewhere else."

Watch Monday Night Club on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

Forward Marcus Rashford, on loan at Aston Villa from Manchester United, is unlikely to play for his parent club again as the relationship between the 27-year-old and the Old Trafford side is close to irreparable. (Guardian), external

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Aston Villa have completed the loan signing of Chelsea defender Axel Disasi until the end of the season.

He follows the arrivals of Marcus Rashford, Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia at Villa Park during the winter transfer window.

They will pay a £5m fee to loan Disasi but again there is no purchase option.

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We asked for your views on Marco Asensio signing for Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Michael: I'm excited by this one. It's better for us than Joao Felix in my opinion. Let's hope he (and Rashford) can give Rogers a rest and some decent competition to Bailey who has been supremely disappointing this season.

Stephen: Not quite made it at PSG so who's saying he can do it for Villa? He's 29 so he could be slowing down and may struggle with the pace of the league. Let's just hope he can get his form back quickly.

Andrew: Asensio will be an instant hit , no question - quality player.

Elliot: Potential great signing - he hasn't got the numbers to suggest he's prolific but his pedigree and history with top clubs is something very exciting. Our attacking options are something to look forward to seeing over the next few weeks.

Conor: A lot of focus in midfield and up front. What's clear so far this season is our woeful record in defence, and I'm unsure the signings in this window will help bolster the back row.

Jonathan: This won't be a very popular opinion, but I think that Villa are going to win the Champions League with this attack. At the end of the day, who cares about bad defence? A world class signing for Villa.

Phil McNulty and Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport

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Aston Villa have agreed a £5m fee to sign defender Axel Disasi on loan from Chelsea.

The 26-year-old briefly looked bound for Tottenham but he is understood to have preferred a move to the Midlands club.

There has been no option to buy included in the deal so any fee to make the move permanent in the summer will have to be negotiated at a later date.

It leaves the north Londoners looking for alternative defensive options before the transfer deadline.

Aston Villa have confirmed the loan signing of midfielder Marco Asensio from Paris Saint-Germain.

The 29-year-old will join Villa until the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

Asensio has scored seven goals in 47 appearances for PSG since joining from Real Madrid in the summer of 2023, helping the club win the French title in 2024.

He has also had spells at Mallorca and Espanyol, as well as earning 38 caps for Spain.

What do you think of the deal, Villa fans? Let us know

MK Dons have signed Aston Villa wing-back Travis Patterson on loan for the remainder of the season.

Patterson made a brief substitute appearance for Villa's Under-21 side in an EFL Trophy game against Burton Albion in October 2021 when he was one day short of his 16th birthday.

He signed a long-term contract last summer and made his first-team debut, again as a late substitute, in a 2-1 win at Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup in September.

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Follow live transfer updates and see all of Monday's completed deals

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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Aston Villa still fully expect to wrap up the loan signing of Marco Asensio from Paris St-Germain but there is less certainty surrounding their interest in Chelsea central defender Axel Disasi.

The 26-year-old is available on loan but will not be moving to Spurs.

At the moment any potential switch to Villa Park also looks off, but there is still a sense from those around the deal that this one might just be revived before deadline to allow manager Unai Emery to strengthen his resources in central defence.

Meanwhile, Villa have confirmed Marcus Rashford will wear the number nine shirt.

Middlesbrough have signed Aston Villa winger Samuel Iling-Junior on loan until the end of the season.

The 21-year-old joined Villa from Juventus in the summer and spent the first half of the season on loan in Italy with Bologna.

He scored twice in 16 appearances for the Serie A side, including a winning goal against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in December.

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Marcus Rashford says he is "excited" to join Aston Villa and is targeting Champions League glory with the club because "if you don't aim to win it, you're never going to win it".

Speaking to VillaTV in his first interview since joining on loan from Manchester United, he said: "It's an ambitious time for this club and a great opportunity for me to join the team and help them keep pushing forward. I'm excited, can't wait for the first training session and obviously the first game.

"[Unai Emery is] a top manager and what he's done at the club since he's come to Villa is unbelievable.

"It's the constant ambition that's attractive, and it's why you want to join such a club.

"I've had to choose somewhere where I feel my style of football is suited to, and can help them and help me rediscover and improve as a player."

There is an option for Villa to buy Rashford for £40m, and speaking about the objectives he wants to achieve while at the club, he said: "I think it's clear. We're obviously still in the Champions League, we want to go as far as we can in that.

"If you don't aim to win it, you're never going to win it. That'll be my main objective, and keep pushing in the league to get as high as possible.

"I know I can hurt teams. I know when I'm playing at my best, I can decide football games."

Bristol Rovers have signed Aston Villa defender Sil Swinkels on loan until the end of the season.

The 21-year-old has made two senior appearances for Villa - his debut coming against Liverpool in the FA Cup in 2021 when Villa's senior squad was hit by Covid-19.

The former Vitesse Arnhem player made his first start for Villa in their 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Wycombe Wanderers in September.

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We asked for your views on Marcus Rashford arriving from Manchester United on an initial loan with an option to buy at the end of the season.

Here are some of your comments:

Prit: Fingers crossed but I think this could work well for all parties. Villa need a proven striker who is eligible for the Champions League. United needed to get a player off their hands that their manager does not rate. Even though his wages are exceptionally high, we do not have to pay a loan fee. If Rashford can knuckle down, work hard and listen to Emery, he will have a lot of options in the summer. If it doesn't work out, it has only been a four-month loan and we will have Louie Barry back from his loan spell. Overall, cautiously optimistic.

Woody: Bit of a risk but one worth taking. Emery has a talent of getting the best out of his players and if he does with Marcus it will be a fab deal! Can he play centre-half, though?

Kalpesh: Bad, bad, bad. Am in great great fear that his bad habits will affect the club and team. Not confident at all. Just an extremely poor loan signing!

Trevor: That's a sensible move. Good players just don't become bad players overnight. He also plays to the left or wide left and will fit well with Ollie Watkins, whereas Jhon Duran was not a team player when playing with Ollie.

Roy: Why not? In the absence of a strategic plan to strengthen our forward line, and given the somewhat bizarre decision to allow Duran to leave, this decision is a reasonable punt. Rashford can be brilliant and can hope he can rediscover his hunger.

Paul: This looks like an expensive disaster. I hope that I'm wrong. The last thing we need is someone who will adversely effect the changing room. We don't want whatever is currently dragging his former club down infecting ours.

James: Great admirer of Rashford, but let's pray this is not another Philippe Coutinho situation. If it's not we can unleash him in the Champions League last 16.

Chay: Honestly, if someone told me Rashford would be playing for Villa in the future during that season where he scored 30 goals I would have been laughing in disbelief. However, I felt the same way when John Terry signed so this doesn't surprise me. Rashford has a point to make and he will get his chance under Unai Emery, who will try to get him back to the level of that 30 goal-season.