Aston Villa currently ranks 4th in the Premier League
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Unai Emery is achieving remarkable feats at Aston Villa. The club has experienced its most prosperous era of the 21st century since his arrival in 2022. Back in 2019, while competing in the Championship, few would have predicted that six years later they would reach the Champions League quarter-finals and score victories over prestigious teams like Bayern Munich in Europe’s top competition. However, many fans were left unsatisfied with the club’s summer transfer dealings, as they struggled to fill the gaps left by on-loan players Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio from the previous season. Aston Villa made the least amount of expenditure among Premier League clubs, spending only €30.5 million—less than even Championship clubs like Ipswich (€59.3m) and Southampton (€56m).
The sole significant addition to the squad was forward Evann Guessand, recruited from Nice for €30 million, although he has yet to make a significant impact in the Premier League. Aston Villa’s season began on a rocky note, failing to secure a victory in their opening five matches. However, as the season progressed, Emery has successfully orchestrated a turnaround, elevating Villa to the fourth position in the league, now tied on points with Chelsea and once again vying for Champions League qualification.
The Squad that Achieved Champions League Qualification
The accomplishments of Aston Villa in the 2023/24 Premier League season can only be described as miraculous, challenging the conventional narrative of the English top tier. Under Emery’s guidance, the team underwent a remarkable transformation, breaking into the top four and securing a spot in the Champions League. When he took over from Steven Gerrard just 11 games into the 2022/23 season, the club was languishing in 17th place.
For younger Villa fans who don’t recall the club’s golden era in the 1980s, this has been their most cherished season of support. The bond between the supporters and the team was palpable. If someone had suggested to these fans that within just a year and a half of that top-four achievement, key players such as Douglas Luiz, Moussa Diaby, Diego Carlos, Jhon Durán, and Leon Bailey would depart, it would have certainly caused quite a stir. Yet, despite the disappointing summer and the departure of recent stars, Emery still manages to keep Villa competitive at the highest level. He has navigated the loss of top talent and aging players while continuing to secure positive results.
Emery’s Strategy for Turning the Season Around
As shown in the graphic below, only Arsenal (68 points) and Manchester City (65 points) have earned more Premier League points than Aston Villa (61) in the 2025 calendar year, surpassing even reigning champions Liverpool, who have 60 points. Emery has turned to players who were previously sidelined due to injury or lacked playing time, helping the team regain its form. Argentinian midfielder Emiliano Buendía, who missed 69 matches with an ACL injury, has returned to the starting XI and is starting to shine with four goals and two assists this season.
After a slow start, star player Morgan Rogers is once again delivering dazzling performances, highlighted by a key brace in a recent 2-1 victory against Leeds. Donyell Malen is showing signs of adapting to the Premier League, while experienced players like Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Martínez, and Lucas Digne contribute to stabilizing the team. Achieving such high placement in the league, amid limited summer investment, is a remarkable feat for Emery and the Villa squad.
