Aston Villa are eyeing a permanent move for 25-year-old England forward Jadon Sancho, who is currently on loan at the club from Manchester United. (National World), external
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Image source, Getty ImagesEzri Konsa has dismissed the need for crisis meetings despite his side's poor start to the season.
The Villa defender said boss Unai Emery's comments about 'lazy' defending after Sunday's draw with Sunderland were "fair" because "we know it's not good enough."
"We pride ourselves on playing a high line - it's something that the boss has tried to install since he came in," Konsa continued. "We didn't quite get it right.
"Things haven't been good so far for us this season, but there are blips in a season and we're going through that now. Hopefully we can move on from that."
Villa are in the relegation zone after failing to win any of their opening five Premier League games, drawing three and losing two.
On talks of 'crisis meetings' Konsa said: "I don't think we are at the stage to have meetings. Some say 'crisis meetings', but we have a great captain in John McGinn who really takes the lead in stuff like that.
"After the game, he said some words to keep us going and encourage us. We haven't started the season well - we know that - but I'm sure it'll go well soon."
Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Europa League game against Bologna at Villa Park (kick-off 20:00).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
On Monchi leaving as sporting director and Roberto Olabe coming in: "Monchi arrived six or seven months after we arrived here. He was very good, personally and professionally, but after two years he needed another chapter in his career. We reacted quickly by bringing in one person I know personally. I have a lot of confidence with Roberto and he is coming to help us. We decided with him and the club to do a normal transition. It changes nothing, only changing the man."
Emery described the Europa League as "an amazing competition" and said: "This is Europe. Europe is very, very important to take it strongly, mentally, and to compete in each moment being consistent."
On tomorrow's opponents Bologna: "A very good team, last year they played Champions League with us and we won but it was a difficult match. They have the same coach, a lot of the same players. The style they are doing is more or less the same. Very aggressive, man to man, it's a difficult team.
Emery added that Villa's objective in Europe is "to get [into] the first eight positions" in the league phase of the Europa League.
As the most successful manager in the history of the competition with four titles, Emery said: "I really love to play in Europe and I am so grateful that Aston Villa is giving me the chance to play in Europe. We played in the Conference League two years ago, last year we played in the Champions League, this year it is the Europa League. Europe is a dream to share with our supporters. Villa Park is always amazing. I think the supporters will be excited to be in this competition."
On player meetings: "With the players I have meetings and we are speaking openly about how we want to build the team, tactically and with our demands. Tomorrow is very exciting to play in Europe and then we will speak again about the league with Fulham [on Sunday]."
Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesImagine a parallel footballing universe where no manager or player is interviewed after a game until the following day, allowing them time to review the match in detail.
But that's not where we all live. Instead Premier League managers are on the clock as soon as the full-time whistle blows, rather than being able to stand in a cold shower for a while.
Further allowance should also be made for managers not speaking in their first language. Taken together, that may be all the explanation necessary for Unai Emery's tone in Sunderland last weekend, so jarring for being so rare. Managers seldom criticise their players so sharply in public any more, and particularly not Emery, who has had very little cause anyway to complain about his Villa players since taking over nearly three years ago.
I hear a suggestion that the word that particularly leapt off the page - "lazy" - may not quite have been the word he had in mind, so let's discount it. There were plenty of other words to make his point: "Usually the players have [the right] attitude. But sometimes maybe they are a bit upset or not feeling good - they are not fighting."
Emery has been in management long enough to know how players respond to all kinds of stimuli, but this can still be a dangerous area.
No doubt he was saying nothing that he had not already shared with his players. It is hard to imagine Emery indulging in a public rant just for show. He has worked with most of his key players for a long time so he should know their likely response.
Plus, many of the key characters - Tyrone Mings, John McGinn and others - are straight-talkers themselves, and seem unlikely to be bruised by this.
That is just as well, because Emery will need them. Even after three years, many of his regular selections are players who arrived before him. This highlights how much they have improved in his charge, but how difficult it has been to refresh the squad.
Some of their more expensive signings have come and gone while hardly leaving a mark, and now the man who oversaw their arrival, Monchi, has exited too.
Emery may have been disillusioned with some of his team's work recently, but he will need to count on the same men repeatedly if Villa's progress since 2022 is not to be wasted.
And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on Monchi stepping down as Aston Villa's president of football operations after two years at the club.
Here are some of your comments:
Prit: Surprised at the departure, given it has only been six games into the season. Going forward, Villa just need to box clever in the transfer market, give the kids a chance and stop picking players on reputation. Unai Emery is potentially the best manager since Ron Saunders. Keep the faith.
Ray: Monchi's recruitment has been poor overall. Villa have paid over the odds for a number of mediocre players. Other clubs have far better scouting and negotiating teams. Very disappointing.
David: Recruitment under Monchi has been mixed at best. Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans were standouts but too many big signings are warming the bench, having been funded by the sales of youth team players. The apparent offering of key players such as Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez for sale over the summer has damaged morale and trust in players and fans alike.
Dave: Time to leave spending money on players that are not first-team players, with too high wages. We're not Manchester City.
Paul: Good riddance Monchi. This is a difficult blip and that's all. When that happens you need to stand together. In Unai we trust!
Nick Mashiter
Football reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesAmadou Onana
Aston Villa should have got more value for money from their transfer dealings under Monchi, according to Supporters' Trust chairman Mo Razzaq.
Villa are expected to replace president of football operations Monchi with Roberto Olabe, with a deal for former Real Sociedad sporting director Olabe close.
It comes with Villa 18th in the Premier League having failed to win their opening five league matches. They were also knocked out of the EFL Cup by Brentford on penalties last week.
Sunday's 1-1 draw at Sunderland saw just two players - Morgan Rogers and Evann Guessand - start who were signed by Unai Emery and Monchi.
Villa broke their transfer record to sign Amadou Onana from Everton for £50m last year but injury has meant he made just 22 starts in the league last season and the midfielder is currently out with a hamstring problem.
Left-back Ian Maatsen joined from Chelsea for £37.5m but has struggled to hold down a regular role while Donyell Malen has made just five starts since moving from Borussia Dortmund for an initial £21m in January.
"Considering the outlay and in terms of signing on fees and wages we pay, we'd probably expect a better return," said Razzaq.
"So if we look at our successes: Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Pau Torres.
"But last season, we signed Onana from Everton, when he plays his form is good but he spends a lot of time out injured.
"Then last January we spent a lot on (Axel) Disasi, (Marcus) Rashford and (Marco) Asensio in terms of their wages. So if that gamble pays off, then you're into the Champions League.
"Because we didn't you look at the issues around player wages and the ratio to revenue and things then look a bit tougher.
"If we want to be competing at the top, then we need to have a better success rate. We've taken a few gambles and they've not paid off."
What do you think about Monchi's exit? Tell us
David Michael
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesNine of Unai Emery's starting XI against Sunderland were players he inherited when he walked through the door at Aston Villa almost three years ago. Only Morgan Rogers and Evann Guessand have been added since - and had Youri Tielemans been fit (an Emery transfer), even Guessand would likely have been on the bench.
It raises an awkward question: why, after six transfer windows, does Villa still look so much like the team Emery found waiting for him?
Back in late 2021, when Newcastle United came calling, Emery turned them down and instead accepted the Villa job. Some suggested he preferred the more "oven-ready" squad he would inherit at Villa Park. Perhaps he really did like what he saw. But the lack of turnover since then remains curious despite PSR. In fact, according to The Athletic, Villa have fielded the joint-oldest squad in the Premier League this season, level with Newcastle, when measured by minutes played.
Managers are usually judged leniently in their first season. The logic goes: wait until they've had one or two windows to bring in their own players before making a proper assessment. By that measure, Villa's predominantly Spanish football department has been strangely quiet. The early promise of using their La Liga connections - think Alex Moreno, Pau Torres - has seemingly dried up quickly.
Instead, 'wow factor' high wage loanees like Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Jadon Sancho have provided short-term placebos for supporters to invest their hopes in.
While there is no room to unpack the lack of genuine squad evolution here, in light of a poor start to the season the bigger question lingers: has the lack of cohesive succession plan in building Emery's team simply left Villa stale and predictable?
Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external
Nick Mashiter
Football reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesMonchi and Unai Emery have tried to reshape Aston Villa, spending big on defensive midfielder Amadou Onana, signed for £50m in 2024, and attacker Moussa Diaby, who arrived in 2023 for £43m.
But Diaby was sold to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad after just one season, while Onana has struggled with injury.
The imposing Belgium international made just 22 league starts last season after his club record move from Everton, and he is currently out with a hamstring injury having played just twice this term.
In the past 18 months Villa's spending has been restricted because of Profit and Sustainability restrictions imposed by both the Premier League and Uefa.
In July, Villa were fined £9.5m by European football's governing body for breaching financial rules.
They needed to sell Douglas Luiz in 2024 to balance the books, with the midfielder joining Juventus for £42m. He made just three Serie A starts last season and joined Nottingham Forest on loan last month.
The sales of Omari Kellyman to Chelsea for £19m and Tim Iroegbunam to Everton for £9m last year also generated important profit, while Jacob Ramsey was sold to Newcastle for £40m last month, with all three having come through the club's academy.
Just two of the starting XI in Sunday's 1-1 draw at Sunderland - Morgan Rogers and striker Evann Guessand - were signed by Emery and Monchi.
This summer, Villa signed goalkeeper Marco Bizot from Brest and Guessand from Nice for £30m, before the deadline day arrivals of Harvey Elliott, Jadon Sancho and Victor Lindelof.
England Under-21 international Elliott joined on loan from Liverpool with a £35m obligation to buy, while Sancho moved on loan from Manchester United and his former Old Trafford team-mate Lindelof joined on a free transfer.
Rogers, signed from Middlesbrough for an initial £8m in 2024, and free transfer Youri Tielemans have been successes, with Rogers becoming an England international.
Meanwhile, before the news that Monchi is set to leave the club, Villa's financial management was a topic of discussion between former Premier League striker Chris Sutton and The Observer's Rory Smith on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, with Smith arguing that they "have spent really badly"...
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on Unai Emery calling the players "lazy" after the draw against Sunderland on Sunday.
Here are some of your comments:
Brian: I would say more than lazy. They seem to have lost the will to win. To concede a goal and draw against 10 men is unacceptable. But it's not just the defence. The midfield lacks imagination and when attacking down the wing crosses go in hopefully rather than actually looking for a team-mate.
Paul: It's hard to disagree, but I also think the coach's job is to motivate as much as strategise so it doesn't reflect well on Emery either. I would have thought a long overdue shake-up of our starting 11 would be a useful motivator to some of the (many) under-performers, and I don't understand why Donyell Malen is still being used off the bench.
Rob: The players are still playing under the same tactics but oppositions have worked out when we press and how, so they can snuff out our presses and nullify Ollie Watkins. The tactics are stale now and I can't see us getting out of the bottom three of the league unless Emery saves his job or we change managers.
Patrick: I think it's about time to be honest, I would have called them out earlier. He's absolutely right, but lazy is generous, we can't string a pass and players that were team leading are now liabilities letting us down. His job is also to be honest with the fans.
Match of the Day pundit Shay Given believes it was a "risk" for Aston Villa boss Unai Emery to call his players "lazy" after their 1-1 draw with Sunderland on Sunday.
"We were lazy sometimes in defence," Emery said in his post-match interview. "When we conceded, we were lazy."
"You can say that behind closed doors but when you say it in the press, players can take it the wrong way," Given said on Match of the Day.
Was it the right decision for Emery to call out his players?
Will it lead to a change in form?
Get in touch with your views here
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Premier League striker Clinton Morrison says Ollie Watkins is "short on confidence" and his team-mates not creating as many chances for him this season is one of the reasons he is yet to get off the mark.
"I did not think he had been getting many chances, but against Sunderland he had a golden opportunity to win the game with a header and he completely missed it," said Morrison on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "He is short on confidence and that happens with a striker.
"He hasn't been getting many chances because they haven't been creating many.
"That is probably because they have lost Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, who were two players who did particularly well for them last season.
"Villa brought in Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott but they haven't started many games. They are the two players that need to get themselves into the team to create chances.
"The lack of confidence can be said for Morgan Rogers as well. They are both really struggling, even though we know they have the quality.
"I don't worry about Villa, though, because I still think they will climb the table and finish in the top half."
We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Sunderland and Aston Villa.
Here are some of your comments:
Sunderland fans
Arnold: After a soul-destroying red card, Sunderland showed their true strengths. Playing as a team and securing a remarkable point. Unbeaten in three games. This team is building into one to be reckoned with.
Fred: This fightback, with 10 men totally convinced me we are a Premier League team and we are here to stay.
Ian: Sunderland have shown in the first five games what you need to survive. Threat, controlling games, resilience and a great team spirit. They react to the superb fans, home and away. A great point today, although had it been 11 v 11 they would have won easily against a surprisingly very poor Villa team. Hats off to Regis le Bris- he's such a good manager at this level.
Craig: The fans are absolutely loving the way Sunderland are playing. Ten men with an hour left and we fight and fight. If we do stay up, it will be because of this attitude. Long may it continue.
Villa fans
Clive: Villa still haven't put in a performance to actually win a game. The manager disappearing down the tunnel before the whistle was blown is not a good sign and I feel the lid of the pressure cooker is about to be blown.
Robbie: A terrible performance. They seemed clueless. They are easily read and do not have final penetration. They are going to struggle and will not be in the top 10.
Mick: These performances are no better than those under Steven Gerrard three years ago. None of Unai Emery's signings have added quality. And the league decline started last season. Relegation fodder unless someone gets a grip.
Christian: It has been the same every game this season, and towards the back end of the last too. Slow, ponderous, dull football. Maybe teams have worked us out and we're not adapting. Maybe some players wished they were elsewhere, maybe both. Emery consistently talks about our identify. What is it? I don't know what he's trying to achieve anymore.
Pundits Shay Given and Theo Walcott join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.
And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:
Neil Johnston
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa, who were without injured midfielder Youri Tielemans, will wonder how they allowed two points to slip away after Matty Cash's goal had ended their long wait for a first league goal.
Striker Ollie Watkins had a glorious chance to win it in stoppage time, but was unable to connect with Jadon Sancho's cross in what was another disappointing overall performance.
There is little doubt Unai Emery's spell in charge at Villa has been impressive.
Before the start of the season, the Spaniard averaged 1.81 points per game, while they have finished the last two seasons fourth and sixth in the table.
However, this latest campaign has started poorly. Not only are Villa struggling to kick-start their Premier League season, they are also out of Carabao Cup before the end of September.
Villa lack confidence and have been unable so far to show the quality of the previous two campaigns.
The pressure is likely to mount on Emery if they still remain winless after their next two league games at home to Fulham and Burnley.
Unai Emery spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Aston Villa's draw against Sunderland: "Frustrated and disappointed a little bit, but not with the result. It should have been easier to take advantage [against 10 players] but we were not playing with our identity, with the ideas we have been building in the last three years.
"With some new players we have to adapt with the players we have, and we know we want to control the game, to dominate but I am disappointed and frustrated more for how we were not achieving our identity.
"There is still work to do with the point we achieved, it's not enough, of course, after playing with one more player for 60 minutes, we should be happier, we have to work and be demanding, to get our consistency through our demands."
Did you know?
Matty Cash's strike in the 67th minute was Aston Villa's first goal of the Premier League season, coming 427 minutes into the season; only Crystal Palace in 2017-18 (641) and Newcastle United in 2005-06 (438) have ever waited longer from the start of a campaign for their first goal than the Villans.
Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.
Have your say on Sunderland's performance
What did you make of Aston Villa's display?
Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies
Sunderland make two changes to the side that started the goalless draw at Crystal Palace last weekend.
Chris Rigg makes his first league start of the season, while summer signing Enzo Le Fee also returns to the starting XI. Habib Diarra is injured and not involved, while Simon Adingra drops to the bench.
Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, Ballard, Alderete, Mandava, Rigg, Xhaka, Sadiki, Talbi, Isidor, Le Fee.
Youri Tielemans is not involved at all for Aston Villa.
Summer signing Evann Guessand returns to the starting XI, while Boubacar Kamara is also back in the starting XI.
Lamare Bogarde drops to the bench,
Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, Guessand, Kamara, McGinn, Rogers, Buendia, Watkins.
There are three games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.
Bournemouth v Newcastle (14:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Sunderland v Aston Villa (14:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live
Arsenal v Manchester City (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live
Kick-off times BST
Follow all of the action and reaction here to the 14:00 games here
And find Arsenal v Man City here
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I haven't backed Sunderland to win yet this season and a few of their fans have been hammering me on social media because they have made a really good start.
But I'm not just going to back them to win for the sake of it, even against an Aston Villa side who are short of form and confidence and cannot even score a goal at the minute either.
Instead, I'm going to say that Villa will come good and Ollie Watkins will not just get his first goal of the season but he will also secure their first win too.
Apologies again to Sunderland fans for that, they can hammer me again this week if I'm wrong.
Sutton's prediction: 0-2
