Rating all 18 of Unai Emery's Aston Villa signings after £270m transfer spend

Aston Villa have spent roughly £270m on transfer fees since Unai Emery's appointment two years ago.

Considering the money which most 'big six' clubs, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest and West Ham have splashed each summer in recent years, the money which Villa have spent on talent to improve Emery's squad is comparatively modest.

Villa have been held back by the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules and UEFA's cost control ratio rules. They had to raise funds in the summer as they sold academy graduates Omari Kellyman, Tim Iroegbunam as well as Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby for big money.

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BirminghamLive rates all 18 of the transfers Villa have made under Emery out of 10...

January 2023

Alex Moreno - 8

The left-back was Emery's first signing at the start of the January 2023 window as the Villa boss wasn't convinced with Lucas Digne after joining the club, while Ludwig Augustinsson wasn't deemed good enough so his loan from Sevilla was cut short.

Moreno made a transformative impact after signing from Real Betis. He helped the club secure qualification for the Europa Conference League, playing a key role in the team's early progress under Emery.

After joining Villa at the age of 29, Moreno was never going to be a long-term signing, but he was excellent in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign. Injuries prevented him from playing a similarly effective role last term, before he joined Nottingham Forest on loan this season.

Jhon Duran - 9.5

Duran has emerged as one of the most promising young strikers in world football, though few managers would have had the patience Emery has shown with the 20-year-old to develop him up until this point.

The Colombia international has all the talent in the world and has bagged eight goals in 14 appearances in all competitions so far this season, but without Emery's support and guidance, he may have been left struggling to cope with the demands of first-team football in the Premier League.

Emery admitted last season that Duran needed to grow up quickly to realise the potential he has. After wanting to leave the club just a few months ago, Duran has since signed a new long-term contract with the club.

Signed for just £14.75m rising to £18m from Chicago Fire, this was an excellent piece of business from Villa.

Summer 2023

Moussa Diaby - 7

Diaby arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for a huge fee and hit the ground running at Villa, recording five goal contributions in his first seven league matches. But he quickly lost form, scoring just twice in the 22 league games following the 6-1 win over Brighton in late September.

Diaby featured in all but two of Villa's 56 matches played across all competitions. He scored six goals and made eight assists in what was considered an impressive first season at the club. The expectation was that he'd continue to improve in his second season, but he decided to accept a lucrative offer from Al-Ittihad.

Villa accepted the Saudi club's £50.5m bid for the winger due to pressure from UEFA's squad cost ratio rules. It's a real shame the 24-year-old's time at Villa was so short considering the ability he has.

Pau Torres - 10

Emery had worked with Torres at Villarreal before joining Villa so this transfer made perfect sense. The centre-back played a crucial role in Villa's structure last term and will continue to do so.

The Spaniard orchestrates it all from the back and is one of the most progressive centre-backs in European football. He isn't as good of a defender as Tyrone Mings, but his ability to play with the ball sets him apart from other defenders.

Youri Tielemans - 9.5

Tielemans took a little while to adapt at Villa in his first few months at the club last season, but has since become a key player, especially since the departure of Douglas Luiz.

Although there was a signing on fee and big wages included, the Belgian was recruited on a free transfer from Leicester City and has enjoyed a new lease of life at Villa Park under Emery. He is back to his best level, which is what he showed at Leicester when they were in the Champions League too. Such a classy footballer.

Nicolo Zaniolo - 6

Zaniolo was signed on loan for the duration of last season after Emi Buendia suffered an ACL injury on the eve of the start of the campaign. The Italian made a total of 40 appearances for Villa last term, but only started nine matches in the Premier League.

He scored two important goals which earned Villa draws against Sheffield United and West Ham. Zaniolo was never going to set the world on fire at Villa, and despite frustrating at points, he played his role in what was a memorable campaign for the club.

Clement Lenglet - 6.5

After failing to make a Premier League appearance until the end of December, Lenglet then featured for 12 matches in a row due to Villa's injury crisis in defence which saw Pau Torres and Diego Carlos struggle with problems in the New Year.

Overall, Lenglet was solid. Again, considering he was only signed on a loan move, he fulfilled his responsibilities well and covered for the loss of Tyrone Mings.

January 2024

Morgan Rogers - 10

It's hard to fault this transfer. Signed for just an initial £8m, which could rise to £15m in add-ons, Rogers is proving to be one of the most exciting youngsters in the Premier League. Granted, he will turn 23 next summer, but the former Manchester City man is inexperienced at the top level and still has plenty of room for improvement.

That's a scary prospect considering the level he has shown at the start of this season. He grew in stature after every passing game last term and will continue to turn heads as this campaign unfolds.

Kosta Nedeljkovic - 8

Villa agreed a £6.5m deal plus add-ons with Crvena Zvezda to sign Nedeljkovic back in January. He has bags of potential and has shown some encouraging signs in the matches he has played so far this season.

He has also made the step-up to the senior Serbia international team and has the opportunity to become their undisputed right-back for the next decade if he reaches the level he can. Bright future.

Joe Gauci - 6

Gauci joined Villa from Adelaide United for a small fee and is developing under Javi Garcia at Bodymoor Heath. Learning from the best in the world in Emi Martinez will be worth his transfer from the A-League alone.

Gauci has made two appearances for Villa since signing for the club, which both came in this season's Carabao Cup games against Wycombe and Crystal Palace.

Lino Sousa - N/A

Left-back Sousa joined Villa from Arsenal at the start of the year, but hasn't featured in the first-team picture yet. He joined Plymouth Argyle on loan for the second half of last season, before he then signed for Bristol Rovers on loan for the season in the summer.

Summer 2024

Amadou Onana - 8.5

Villa signed Onana for a club-record £50m fee back in July as Emery wanted to sign a player who can either replace, play with or compete with Boubacar Kamara. Without the Frenchman, Villa shipped too many goals last season.

Onana still has plenty to learn under Emery, but has made a strong start to life at the club after scoring three goals and has impressed alongside compatriot Tielemans in the double pivot. He has been taken off in most matches so far this season and has only played the full 90 minutes in two league games so far.

He will continue to grow under Emery's guidance, which was a big attraction to joining Villa in the summer when he had plenty of interest from elsewhere too.

Ian Maatsen - 8.5

Maatsen is yet to start a league game for Villa due to Digne's remarkable consistency since the start of the last season. The Dutch international is still young at 22, and has plenty of years ahead of him to play a big role in Villa's progression under Emery.

He was sensational for Borussia Dortmund in the second half of last season and played in the Champions League final against Real Madrid with the German giants. He was also named in the Champions League team of the season despite only joining the club on loan in January.

Jaden Philogene - 7.5

Emery admitted he had made a mistake selling Philogene to Hull last summer. Villa kept a degree of control on his future by taking up the option to match an accepted offer which came from Ipswich in the summer.

Philogene enjoyed a brilliant campaign with the Tigers last term, scoring 12 goals and recording six assists in 32 Championship appearances. Emery has a development plan for the winger and considering the talent he has, it was a relief to see him return to the club in the summer as a number of top-flight clubs were circling for him.

Ross Barkley - 8.5

Signed for just £5m from Luton Town, Villa's move for Barkley was a shrewd one. He already knew several members of Emery's squad after his season-long loan in 2020/21, while he arrived on the back of his best season for some time at Luton Town.

Barkley has rediscovered his form playing in a deeper role than he had played for Everton and Chelsea. He has been called on to make a difference from off the bench in matches. He helped Villa turn the matches around against Everton and Wolves before he scored the opening goal against Bournemouth last weekend before committing the foul which led to the Cherries' late equaliser.

Samuel Iling-Junior - N/A

Iling-Junior joined Bologna on loan for the season due to the level of competition for places in his position in the squad. He made his debut at Villa Park earlier this month, but as an opposition player in the Champions League.

Enzo Barrenechea - N/A

Barrenechea and Iling-Junior were part of a separate deal with Juventus as Douglas Luiz headed to Turin to help Villa comply with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules. Barrenechea joined Valencia on loan for the season and scored his first goal for the club in their recent draw with Getafe.

Lewis Dobbin - N/A

Everton signed Iroegbunam and offloaded one of their young talents Dobbin to Villa. The forward is currently on loan at West Bromwich Albion, where he has made nine Championship appearances but is yet to start.

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