Aston Villa

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We asked you which players you have watched at the World Cup that you think would be a great fit at Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Sean: If Emi Martinez is to leave then Japan's Zion Suzuki could be a very helpful pick-up.

Matt: Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille looked excellent for Morocco against Brazil - all over the pitch, winning balls everywhere and repeatedly getting out of Brazil's press to play some neat balls forward. He's only 18 and looks in demand, but maybe we could give him more first-team football than Arsenal, Liverpool etc while still offering Champions League.

Simon: I don't want Morgan Rogers to leave. However, if did sell then get Marcus Rashford back and maybe Mohamed Salah for two seasons. Midfiel-wise, I'm sure Unai Emery has already identified replacements which you would hope are young gems just like Rogers was.

Mark: Omar Marmoush is exactly what we need up front. And John Stones on a free would be a great start if you ask me.

Spotted someone you want for Villa? Let us know who and why he'd fit

Scott Mullen
BBC Sport Scotland

When John McGinn scored Scotland's first men's World Cup goal in 28 years in the 1-0 win over Haiti, the Aston Villa midfielder celebrated in customary fashion.

Mimicking goggles with his hands turned upside down, the toast of the Tartan Army is raising awareness for his nephew Jack, who needs goggles to play football because of his poor eyesight.

McGinn and his goggles have gone worldwide in recent days, with his name ringing out on the streets of Boston and on the Fenway Park bleachers.

And the 31-year-old does not want any kids in Scotland - or indeed anywhere - to be put off being themselves, hence his iconic celebration.

"It was for the last major tournament when I didn't score," McGinn told ITV Sport, when asked for the meaning behind the goggles.

"It was at the time where Jack was having serious discussions about his eyesight. It's probably as strong a lens as you can get for a child. When he takes his glasses off, you can see how much he struggles.

"But it's not just the reaction from him, and allowing him to be more comfortable playing football with his pals. It's the awareness for young kids all around Scotland, all around the world."

Read the full story here

Megan Jones
BBC West Midlands

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For Aston Villa and England footballer Morgan Rogers, the love of the game runs in the family.

"My mum and dad are fans of football and my brothers are fans of football, so it made it really easy for me to be," he told the Football Association.

The 23-year-old added he was "a bit of a geek" when it comes to learning players, teams and little details that other people may not know.

His thirst for knowledge was evident from a young age, according to former West Bromwich Albion manager Darren Moore.

He was part of the club's academy coaching staff when he first came across Rogers, who played for the under-14s team at the time.

"Every time in football training or games, he would always work hard, express himself and want to absorb all the information that was given to him," said Moore.

While coaches spotted his potential in the academy, the same qualities were just as clear at school.

Rogers attended Sandwell Academy and was part of the side that won the National Schools Cup in 2017, and in later years.

Scott Follis, now head of PE at Sandwell Academy, taught Rogers during that time and remembers a pupil whose talent stood out immediately.

"My first memory of him is seeing him on the football pitch, " he said. "Morgan was brilliant, we are quite lucky as a school, over the years we have had some really talented footballers come through."

He added: "He was always a step above, just an excellent footballer, what you see now when he is playing at the highest level, is what we saw at school level.

"He was so natural with the ball, so effortless, I remember watching Morgan, and wondering if he didn't make it to the top level, I don't know what the top level is."

Follis and the PE department have kept an eye on him throughout the years.

"We knew when he was out on loan, and breaking into the first teams, we try and track our students," said Follis.

When he saw Rogers named in the 26-man squad for the summer tournament, Follis said he was "really excited to see how he gets on and it's great to see him out there on a massive stage".

Meanwhile, Rogers is continuing to inspire future generations at his old school.

"The students ask 'did Morgan Rogers come here?' 'Did you teach Morgan?', and the majority know we did," Follis added.

Read Megan's full piece here

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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The moment Youri Tielemans's opener burst the net in Aston Villa's Europa League triumph against Freiburg, each of Unai Emery's substitutes took a turn to embrace the man responsible for orchestrating another set-piece goal.

Goalkeeper Emi Martinez chose not to celebrate with his outfield team-mates, instead racing over to the dugout to also show his appreciation to Scottish coach Austin MacPhee.

Villa fans were heard chanting the name of the 46-year-old as their heroes on the pitch closed in on a 3-0 victory in Istanbul.

Post-match, head coach Emery labelled the Scot a "fantastic creator". Striker Ollie Watkins hailed his "courage". Captain John McGinn described his countryman as a "great set-piece coach".

And now, MacPhee takes to the World Cup with Portugal after joining Roberto Martinez's staff in February last year.

It's is his five years at Villa Park that have undoubtedly brought him his greatest success, though. Villa scored more goals from set-pieces than any other side in Europe's top five leagues in 2023-24.

The following season, only four clubs in those five divisions bettered their tally. In the most recent campaign, they were level with Arsenal for the most set-piece goals.

MacPhee has achieved those staggering results through years of experience and meticulous preparation.

Hours are spent on the training pitch and in analysis suites, and players are given homework in the form of animations and graphics sent to their phones.

Amid the Europa League celebrations in Istanbul, Emery said: "We work on everything so hard and everything makes sense.

"Congratulations to Austin too, he's very good at his job and we work very closely. He has so much experience and we know exactly what we are doing."

A long-haired lad from Kirkcaldy might just prove to be the most lethal weapon at a World Cup. Not sure that has ever been said before, or will be said again.

Read Nick's full piece on MacPhee here

The World Cup may be less than a week old but the 2026-27 Premier League fixtures will be released on Friday.

And to get in the mood, we want your stories of opening-day games that have stuck in your minds most - both the good and the bad.

Get in touch with your memories here

And make sure to come back to this page on Friday to see how Villa's league fixture list has fallen.

Aston Villa's John McGinn played a crucial role in Scotland's first World Cup game in 28 years.

In the words of BBC Scotland's commentator, Liam McLeod: "A goal for a nation. A goal that a nation has craved."

McGinn's strike was deflected past Haiti goalkeeper, Johny Placide in the 28th minute.

Scotland sit first in Group C after Brazil and Morocco drew their opening game.

Visit our World Cup index to keep up with all the latest from the tournament

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We asked who you think Aston Villa should keep, loan and sell this summer.

Here are some of your comments:

James: Keep - Emi Buendia. He was out on loan last season, but his goals in key moments have shown that class is permanent.

Loan - Lamare Bogarde. Get some minutes and prove that you can do it week in, week out.

Sell - Leon Bailey and Tyrone Mings. Bailey was ineffective off the bench and Mings, despite being a great servant to Villa, his time has come as he is slipping down the pecking order.

Reece: Keep - Ollie Watkins. He always ends up performing for us even when he's been off it for half the season.

Loan - Alysson. He has looked good when he's had a few minutes, but he needs more experience before he gets first-team time.

Sell - Bailey is too inconsistent nowadays. Needs to be off our payroll - a waste of time and money this season.

Phil: Keep - Mings for his leadership around the squad. It's clear we're a better team with Pau Torres in it, especially in Europe, but I don't think Mings lets us down on the pitch and he's made other players around him better during his time with us.

Loan - Bogarde to get consistent game time. I still think there's a good defensive midfielder in there.

Sell - Evan Guessand. I don't know why we signed him in the first place.

Connor: Keep - Morgan Rogers as he'll be a crucial part of the team for us next season in the Premier League and Champions League.

Loan - Emi Martinez, though he's our number one goalkeeper so we don't want to lose him completely.

Sell - Bailey. He's just not doing anything for us and has made more mistakes than he has done good things.

Alex: Keep - Mings. Some discussion over moving him on, but his experience and personality make him worth keeping.

Loan - Alysson. I don't see where he'll get minutes so it's better that he plays, preferably at Championship level.

Sell - Bailey. No context needed here.

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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In the days following Unai Emery's appointment as Aston Villa head coach, John McGinn was north of the border catching up with some old friends when some classic west of Scotland pessimism set in.

"He is going to think: 'Who is this wee Scottish guy?" he told his mates in a panic, fearing the worst about his role in the Spaniard's reshaping of the club.

If he was to replay that scene in his head almost four years on, he would surely find it difficult not to chuckle at his own expense.

McGinn lifted Villa's first major silverware in 30 years last month and the 31-year-old has just enjoyed his highest-scoring season at club level.

Whatever jersey he has on, success seems to follow the all-action midfielder - and it doesn't feel like pure coincidence.

A crunching tackle at the Holte End against Wigan on his Villa debut endeared him to the support. His first goal, a wonder strike against Sheffield Wednesday, came a month later.

He ended his first campaign in Birmingham by scoring the winner in the Championship play-off final against Derby at Wembley.

It is poignant that the lad responsible for taking Villa back to the Premier League in 2019 went on to lift the Europa League as captain seven years later. He has become a legend at the club, with more still to give.

His bubbly, larger-than-life character sets him apart from most. Last week, he was comfortable admitting to BBC Scotland that he had packed a European plug adapter for his summer trip to the United States.

McGinn doesn't take himself too seriously - possibly because he knows if he did, he would be brought crashing back down to earth by his grounded family and friends.

"He is the same person now as he was back then," his former team-mate Scott Allan said. "That is a huge credit to himself and his parents."

McGinn is 31 years old, but his story still has pages to fill.

Another Champions League campaign is on the way in a Villa side buoyed by long-awaited silverware. First, however, there is a World Cup to savour.

McGinn is a Harry Potter fanatic, but there is no fiction about the story of the boy from Clydebank who will, in the coming weeks, attempt to sprinkle more magic on the career of his dreams.

Read the full article here

Change is inevitable at football clubs during the summer months and we want to ask you something specific about Aston Villa's squad.

Tell us:

• One player who should be kept who may be on the fringes and why?

• One player who should be loaned out

• One player who should be sold

We would love names and reasons for all three - get in touch with your views here

Juventus are in talks with Aston Villa to sign their Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, 33, who has already agreed personal terms. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Aston Villa have announced a pre-season friendly against Real Socieded on Saturday, 25 July (15:00 BST).

Unai Emery's side will face the La Liga outfit at Bescot Stadium, four days after taking on League Two Walsall at the same venue (19:30).

Villa travel to Germany to face Monchengladbach on 15 August, which is the Saturday before the 2026-27 Premier League campaign begins.

They will also test themselves against Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich on Friday, 7 August in Hong Kong for the inaugural Audi Football Summit.

Tom English
BBC Scotland chief sports writer

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With 20 Scotland goals to his name, John McGinn ranks fifth in his nation's all-time top scorer chart, a shortlist of icons from down the generations.

He's 10 behind Denis Law and Sir Kenny Dalglish, the greatest players who ever put on a Scotland jersey, three behind the 1928 Wembley Wizard Hughie Gallacher and two behind Lawrie Reilly, the Hibs immortal.

He's arriving at this World Cup in the finest form of his life, a Europa League winner, a Champions League place secured for next season and his childhood World Cup dream realised. He was three years old the last time Scotland played on the biggest stage.

McGinn was reflective when asked about his early years. "I remember going into the St Mirren changing room before one of my first starts and Stevie Thompson said, 'It's your jersey now, keep it'. And that stuck in my head my whole career."

What Thompson said to McGinn then, McGinn is saying now to the younger members in Clarke's squad - Tyler Fletcher and Findlay Curtis aged 19 (he turns 20 on Tuesday) and Ben Gannon-Doak aged 20.

"If these boys get a chance to get their jersey, whether that's mine, [Scott] McTominay's, Che Adams', it's theirs to keep.

"That's what you want in any club, any nation. We all want the one thing and that's the country to be successful.

"So the young players aren't here to make up the numbers. They're here to make an impact and start their own careers with Scotland. And if that means taking someone out of the team, that's their job."

In McGinn, they have the best mentor they could possibly have, a player with fire and class and belief, a leader who's waited his entire career for weeks like these.

The countdown to the World Cup is well and truly on, so here's a reminder of the Villans selected to represent their countries from 11 June to 19 July.

The expanded 48-team competition is set to be the biggest in history, with the United States, Canada and Mexico hosting.

Aston Villa's World Cup contingent:

• Lucas Digne (France)

• Evann Guessand (Ivory Coast)

• Ezri Konsa (England)

• Victor Lindelof (Sweden)

• Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)

• John McGinn (Scotland)

• Amadou Onana (Belgium)

• Morgan Rogers (England)

• Youri Tielemans (Belgium)

• Ollie Watkins (England)

Take a dive into each of the 48 squads here

Read more about the World Cup squads in numbers

Find out more about how to follow the competition on the BBC

Click here to download your World Cup 2026 wallchart

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We asked for your views on what one thing needs to change at Aston Villa before the new campaign and why.

Here are some of your comments:

Matt: The Villa squad needs depth. Our best XI is a match for any team in the league, as was shown on our great run earlier in the season, but a few injuries left us slow, passive and leaky. Good backups across the pitch would help take us to the next level and is especially important if we're to compete in the Champions League and the Premier League at the same time. That, and a right winger, and we're golden.

Andy: Paradigm shift in my thinking since we won a trophy - keep as many as we can and add strength in depth. New creativity on both wings and a right-back is enough.

Chay: The quality of players on the bench. We had a midfield crisis with Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans injured and had to rely on just Douglas Luiz, Lamare Bogarde and Amadou Onana. Their quality in midfield wasn't great and just shows, especially when Unai Emery played Victor Lindelof, as a defender who was outstanding in midfield, over all three of them. We need to get rid of these benchwarmers and have players who can disrupt Emery's strong XI.

Dennice: We should get all our main transfers done by August so the players can gel in well in time and adapt to Emery-ball. We need reinforcements in every department; goalkeeping, defence, midfield and attack. All of which should be done before we play PSG in the Super Cup.

Stephen: We need a striker who can bag 20-25 goals in the league. This would help with trying to maintain ourselves in the top five. I would suggest that we try to get Igor Thiago from Brentford as previous recruitment from there has been good.

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Europa League winners Aston Villa have added pre-season friendly matches against Walsall and German club Villa to face Walsall and Borussia Monchengladbach to their pre-season schedule.

Unai Emery's side will make the short trip to face League Two Walsall on Tuesday, 21 July at 19:30 BST.

Villa will also travel to Germany to face Monchengladbach on Saturday, 15 August, the weekend before the 2026-27 Premier League campaign begins.

Monchengladbach finished 12th in the Bundesliga in 2025-26.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

With all 48 World Cup squads now confirmed, we look at how they shape up and compare with each other leading into the tournament.

Which clubs have the most players?

Looking just at the 20 clubs that made up the 2025-26 Premier League, only this season's top three have more players at the World Cup than Conference League winners Crystal Palace (12).

Including players out on loan over the season, Sunderland remarkably have as many representatives on the global stage as Chelsea and Liverpool (11), showing just how globe-trotting their recruitment was following promotion last summer.

The majority of Brentford, Everton and Leeds' squads can put their feet up and recharge their batteries for next season, with those clubs sending just four players each.

• Get more key stats on participation

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We asked for your views on whether Aston Villa should cash in on Morgan Rogers with reports that he is wanted by other Premier League clubs and whether Manchester City's Phil Foden could be a suitable replacement for him.

Here are some of your comments:

Joe: Villa should try their hardest to keep Rogers. Instead of "moving heaven and earth" to get Foden - who I don't think is on Rogers' level - they should move heaven and earth to keep Rogers. He is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League at the moment, which is clear because of the interest he is getting. So keep Morgan.

Simon: In my heart, not a chance! However, that being said, look at how the money from selling Jack Grealish helped to transform us. Overall, I would hope Rogers gives us another season and then cash in if we qualify for Champions League football again. UTV.

Paul: Foden to replace Rogers? I sincerely hope not!

Prit: In a word, NO. Foden is a very good player but he is not as good as Rogers. The last time we brought in a player from Manchester City (Stephen Ireland as the makeweight in the James Milner sale), it was a disaster. Rogers has a five-year contract so there is no obligation to sell, but if he is to go, the price MUST be in excess of £125m, not the quoted "in excess of £80m" by certain journalists. In fact, Aston Villa should build a team around Rogers so we can seriously contend for senior honours.

Rob: I know Rogers has been inconsistent at times but we must not sell him because he's one of only a few signings Unai Emery's made that gets into his best XI. Otherwise our recruitment has been hit and miss. We struggled the season we sold Grealish for £100m, even with three expensive signings, and I could see us going the same way again if Rogers leaves this summer.

Luke: No thanks to Foden. Would be astronomically expensive wage-wise and he's too lightweight. We need someone taller and stronger in that role - someone like Rogers.

MChopper: Villa should just get Foden anyway and keep Rogers. Job done. We need to grow, not stay the same.

Tony: Rogers isn't going anywhere unless you're looking at a record bid. He is the best young attacking midfielder in the Premier League based on output, but more his potential and physicality. So anything short of what was spent on Alexander Isak, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo is an insult. £150m and then maybe Villa will be tempted, but please stop with the £80m nonsense.

The 2026-27 Premier League season will be here before we know it, with the first matches taking place on Saturday, 22 August.

We have a simple question for you - what one thing needs to change at your club before the new campaign and why?

It can be a player, manager, ticketing issue, owner, or wider change.

Let us know in detail here

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Aston Villa striker Tammy Abraham has undergone surgery.

The 28-year-old posted an image of himself lying in a hospital bed along with the words "op done" on his Instagram stories on Wednesday evening.

Abraham can be seen wearing an arm sling and it appears he has undergone shoulder surgery.

The striker, signed in January for £18.2m from Besiktas, has not played since early May and was on the bench for key fixtures such as the Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest and subsequent final win over Freiburg.

AC Milan have emerged as serious contenders to sign Crysencio Summerville, 24, from West Ham, with the Dutch winger also attracting interest from Aston Villa and Tottenham. (Teamtalk), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport