Aston Villa supporters have had the joy of watching many exceptional stars play for their club over the years, none more so in recent times.
In the current first-team squad, Unai Emery has several quality players to choose from and he can take credit for their rapid development in claret and blue.
The likes of Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers, Emi Martinez and John McGinn – the list goes on – have all transformed into some of the best players in the Premier League.
Aston Villa have also seen some of their heroes make big money moves elsewhere, most notably Jack Grealish, who completed a £100 million transfer to Manchester City in 2021 after becoming a star at Villa Park.
Grealish is still Villa’s most expensive sale and will remain so for a very long time, but there are also many players they’ve missed out on signing over the years, including Roy Keane.
Aston Villa almost signed Man Utd legend Roy Keane
At the end of the 1992/93 campaign, Villa had just come second to Manchester United in the inaugural Premier League campaign.
United’s legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson set his sights on dominating for years to come and one signing would play a crucial role in their trophy-winning success – a £3.75 million capture of Roy Keane from Nottingham Forest in 1993.
Keane was one of the most highly rated youngsters in England at the time, signing for Man United at the age of 21 before becoming a club legend at Old Trafford, winning seven league titles, a Champions League and making 475 appearances.
Interestingly, United weren’t the only club interested in signing the Irishman, as Villa almost signed him and former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer in the same summer.
Speaking about how he almost completed a transfer to Villa Park in 1993, Palmer told the Undr the Cosh podcast: “By the way, can you believe he [Ron Atkinson] had me and Roy Keane signing for Aston Villa. No, before you go to the World Cup, you make sure you get those dots crossed before you go. He didn’t, Howard [Wilkinson] come in to sniff me and Alex Ferguson come in and nicked Roy Keane.”
Ian Taylor was Aston Villa’s very own Roy Keane
Keane is still recognised as one of the best tough-tackling destroyers the Premier League has ever seen but Villa had their very own midfield dynamo in Ian Taylor.
Brian Little made Taylor his first signing in charge of Aston Villa after securing a £1m deal with Sheffield Wednesday in December 1994.
A boyhood Villa fan, Taylor fulfilled his dreams of playing for the club he grew up supporting and became a legend in the process.
He made 290 appearances across nine years at the club, scoring memorable goals, including the one to beat Leeds United in the 1996 EFL Cup final.
Taylor was recently seen leading a special moment for the late Gary Shaw on Villa’s first game back in the Champions League, and he will always be fondly remembered by the fans.
