Financial restrictions hamper spending
- Published
Monchi 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"...