Aston Villa have reached new heights in the past few years. When Unai Emery first arrived in 2022, the Villans were fighting for their Premier League lives. Fast forward to today, the team has qualified for the Champions League and will compete in the Europa League this upcoming season.
Of course, this wouldn’t be possible if Emery didn’t have the right players at his disposal. With the backing of the front office, Emery got the reinforcements he needed to defy the Premier League 2025 odds.
The Villans finished sixth in the English top-flight standings last term, which is lower than their breakout 2023-24 campaign. But because they’ll play in Europe, Aston Villa still need all hands on deck to come out in one piece at the end of next season.
Today, SBOTOP lists down the three key players who could help Aston Villa achieve their goals.
Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa had the ninth-best offence in the Premier League last season, scoring 58 goals, and Ollie Watkins accounted for a huge chunk of their goals. The 29-year-old striker plundered 16 league goals to lead the Villans, and he also contributed 8 assists.
At the start of the 2024-25 campaign, Watkins shared the goalscoring responsibilities with Jhon Duran, who had seven league goals while mostly coming off the bench. However, when Duran moved to Saudi Arabia for a massive payday, Watkins assumed a heavier load offencively, which he did well. A quintessential target man, Watkins is a clinical finisher, strong in the air, and can hold his ground against some of the most rugged defenders.
Given his exploits in the final third, Watkins is being pursued by suitors from rival clubs, most notably Manchester United. Aston Villa are reportedly not keen on selling Watkins as he figures to be in Unai Emery’s long-term plans, unless Manchester United give them an offer they can’t resist. According to reports, Aston Villa will only consider selling Watkins for around £60 million, and Alejandro Garnacho could be included in a potential swap deal.
However, given the Villans’ lack of a quality replacement, with only Donyell Malen and raw talents Lewis Dobbin and Samuel Iling-Junior behind in the pecking order, Aston Villa shouldn’t sell Watkins this summer.
Morgan Rogers
After four years of being loaned out by Manchester City and one season at Middlesbrough, Morgan Rogers finally found his home at Aston Villa, where he broke out in his first full season with them.
The 23-year-old showed he can operate as an attacking midfielder or winger, and Rogers finished as the Villans’ second-leading scorer and joint-first playmaker with eight league goals and 10 assists in 2024-25. He was so good that he was called up and made his senior debut for the English national team last term. More importantly, Rogers has formed a robust attacking partnership with Ollie Watkins. Rogers’ tantalising play and work ethic have naturally attracted suitors this summer, with Chelsea and Arsenal reportedly monitoring his situation.
According to the Premier League 2025 updates, Aston Villa see Rogers as one of their untouchables. They placed a £100 million price tag on his head, which is considered exorbitant for his suitors, despite needing to balance their books in line with the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Instead of selling Rogers, Aston Villa have reportedly explored the possibility of selling Leon Bailey, Jacob Ramsey, and Lucas Digne to improve their financial situation.
Youri Tielemans
Aston Villa won’t get to where they are if it weren’t for Youri Tielemans’ efforts last season. The Belgian international was the Villans’ joint-third leading scorer and third-best playmaker with three goals and seven assists. He was almost always there when the team needed him, as Tielemans played in 52 out of a possible 55 matches across all competitions, logging a whopping 4,511 minutes. By doing so, the 28-year-old central midfielder became the first Aston Villa player to start more than 50 games in a single season since Alan Wright and Mark Bosnich in 1995-96.
Whether it’s Amadou Onana or Boubacar Kamara as his partner in the middle of the park, Tielemans remained steady and consistent throughout the 2024-25 campaign. He was the engine behind Aston Villa’s build-up play, as Tielemans became the first player in the Premier League last season to generate more than 50 chances and make over 200 passes into the final third.
Considering he joined the squad on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, Tielemans has been one of Aston Villa’s most shrewd acquisitions in recent memory.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
