Transfer deadline day has been one of disappointment for Aston Villa but there is plenty for supporters to be excited about at the moment.
Aston Villa qualified for Europe’s elite competition for the first time in over 40 years last season and on Thursday, Unai Emery’s squad discovered their Champions League opponents.
Villa will play eight matches in the league phase, including eye-catching ties against Bayern Munich and Celtic while Douglas Luiz will return to Villa Park for the first time since leaving for Juventus.
Being back in the most prestigious competition in club football is cause for optimism and excitement but Emery isn’t getting carried away, as he issues a warning to his Villa players.
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Unai Emery’s warning to Aston Villa players ahead of Champions League
Although most of the talk has been about transfers across all clubs, the Villans are currently preparing for their trip to Leicester City in the Premier League.
The Birmingham outfit have started with a 2-1 win over West Ham and were unfortunate to lose against Arsenal last weekend.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the match, Emery spoke about the upcoming Champions League campaign, where he laid down a marker for his players.
Despite the increased demand of midweek football, he still expects his players to be consistently performing in the top flight to finish in the top four.
“We are motivated. We are going to enjoy together [with our supporters] playing again in the Champions League,” Emery said.
“But, if we want to play next year in Champions League, we have to be consistent and performing in the Premier League.”
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Aston Villa’s squad depth
Although excitement is building for supporters, who will be watching underneath the iconic lights at Villa Park, they will have concerns about the size of the squad.
Whilst the seven new signings have arguably improved their depth as a whole, Villa’s starting XI has taken a decent hit following the departure of Douglas Luiz.
The Brazilian was sold to Juventus for £40 million and in return, they signed winger Samuel Iling-Junior and midfielder Enzo Barrenechea.
Iling-Junior has since sealed a loan move to Bologna, while Barrenechea is close to joining Spanish side Valencia.
Discarding that duo from the list, as they’re no longer a part of the squad, Emery has realistically only made five new signings and Amadou Onana was the only addition to start against West Ham and Arsenal.
Supporters will therefore be apprehensive about whether the squad in its current state can cope with competing across all fronts.
