If there is one thing Unai Emery really can’t stand, it’s when he calls for a replacement and discovers the player is still putting on his shirt or adjusting his boots.
Alejandro Garnacho has already found himself on the receiving end of an Emery explosion for lamenting on the sidelines Arsenal last week. At Hull, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Tammie Abraham felt the full force of their manager’s anger.
But for now, that image of the unprepared substitute sums up Villa in September 2026. They feel like that player who isn’t quite ready when the manager beckons him.
No team in the world could lose six players from their first-choice starting XI and bounce on as if nothing had happened. When the team in question is also severely limited by the sanctions of UEFA’s financial regulations, the rebuilding job becomes even more difficult.
However, how clubs respond to these setbacks tends to shape their future. These are early days for the new Aston Villa but for the second season in a row they are without a win or a goal after three Premier League competitions.
The team needs to pull up their socks quickly, ideally in their Champions League opener at Club Brugge on Tuesday. Daily mail sport looks at what could happen for Villa as they start their European campaign…
It’s early days for the new Aston Villa, but for the second season in a row, Unai Emery’s side are without a win or a goal after three games in the Premier League
Alejandro Garnacho has already been on the receiving end of an Emery blast for not being ready to come on as a substitute against Arsenal last week
MADJO MISSING
Villa’s only goalscorer this season is Brian Madjo, who was chosen ahead of Tammy Abraham for the UEFA Super Cup and put in a superb performance against Paris Saint-Germain in Salzburg last month.
The 17-year-old is currently out with an ankle injury and Villa say they hope he will have recovered once the upcoming international break is over. If that is the case, it seems strange that Abraham has been chosen over Madjo in the Champions League squad. When he returns in October, Madjo would – in theory – be available for seven more European matches.
Abraham joined Villa from Besiktas in January and it feels like they have been trying to sell him ever since. They were desperate to send Abraham on loan to Ipswich just before the deadline and after the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal, Emery was quite candid in his assessment of Abraham: ‘We opened the door for him but he has decided to stay here with us.’
He was more conciliatory on Friday – an understandable tactic considering Abraham will remain at Villa for at least another four months. “His challenge here is very important,” Emery said.
But if Madjo’s injury is truly minor, and Villa really weren’t under any pressure from UEFA’s financial rules when they put together the squad, the choice seems odd.
Madjo has made just six senior appearances in his career, while Abraham has made more than 400. Emery believes experience is key in European competition and Abraham has that too, with 65 appearances.
But this did not stop Emery from using European new signing Morgan Rogers for the 2024/25 Champions League campaign, and he will not hesitate to use youth star George Hemmings this season either. So why not Madjo?
Aston Villa’s Brian Madjo scored against PSG in the Super Cup, but why isn’t he in their Champions League squad?
DRAWINGS WITH ATTACHED STRINGS
Villa’s record signing Johan Manzambi has a problem with his knee and Emery has admitted he must be very careful with the Swiss playmaker.
Leon Goretzka, 31, arrived on a free transfer on August 27 but is not yet part of a matchday squad. Garnacho has played just 31 competitive minutes.
We may see more of Matteo Ruggeri and Ibrahim Mbaye after the international break, as is the case with Manzambi and Joao Gomes if he completes his suspension. Of Villa’s new signings, only goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, midfielder Gomes (who was sent off on his debut) and Nicolas Jackson have immediately appeared in the starting line-up.
Some players are calling the 2026-2027 squad the ‘new Aston Villa’ and the more optimistic online followers are talking about ‘Villa 2.0’. But what we see now is actually an inferior version of the ‘old’ Villa.
It takes time to integrate new players and those who have left are not easily replaced. Yet it feels as if Villa have been scrambling a little too much.
It was common knowledge throughout the club that Rogers would be leaving. Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne had exit clauses. Ezri Konsa had been one of Arsenal’s top three targets since May last year – which Villa must have known.
Which brings us to Taylor Harwood-Bellis…
Villa’s record signing Johan Manzambi has a problem with his knee and Emery has admitted he must be very careful with the Swiss playmaker
Joao Gomes is serving a suspension after being sent off against Brighton in the first weekend of the season
KONSA’S REPLACEMENT CUTTING
If a club rates a player highly enough to pay £30 million for him to replace Konsa, one of the best centre-backs around, then it surely follows that they will want him available for all their matches.
Not Villa, who have omitted Harwood-Bellis from their European squad. Emery says he has opted for versatility by signing Lamare Bogarde, who can also play as a centre-back but is primarily a midfielder. He also mentioned Boubacar Kamara as a possible centre-back.
However, if you’re Harwood-Bellis, you may feel that not only are you a fourth-choice centre-half, but the manager over there in Europe would rather play as a midfielder if he has to.
Villa has a form for this. They signed Donyell Malen in January 2025 but dropped him from the European squad when they signed the high-profile loan deals of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio. It’s safe to say that Malen was not a happy guy.
Once again, Villa say Harwood-Bellis’ exclusion is not related to their UEFA settlement agreement, meaning there should be no ‘negative balance’ in their Champions League squad. In layman’s terms, this means that the transfer and wage costs for their signings cannot exceed the fees they received from the sale, and the wages they saved.
Emery also asks a lot of his players when Villa do not have the ball. It takes time to master his instructions and perhaps Emery finds it too risky to ask a player to learn on the job, especially in the Champions League.
The last time Emery made a major signing in the Championship, he went for Rogers – now one of the most expensive players in history following his £117million move to Chelsea.
Yet Harwood-Bellis’ decision still seems strange, if it’s really just for football reasons.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis will have to make do with a seat in the stands during the Champions League as the £30million signing has been left out of the squad
HERO HIMMS
Amid the uncertainty surrounding Villa’s start, they have unearthed a gem from their youth system in Hemmings.
Madjo attracted all the attention against PSG, but Hemmings seemed a more talented footballer and he seems ready for a coach like Emery.
There are still issues to be resolved – as there usually will be for a player with just eight senior appearances. But look at the many benefits.
Hemmings is technically strong, physically robust and tactically smart. This season he more than held his own against Achraf Hakimi and Ben White.
Amid the uncertainty surrounding Villa’s start to the season, they have unearthed a gem from their youth system – George Hemmings
In last Monday’s home defeat to Arsenal, Hemmings started on the left of a narrow attacking three.
He had to provide Villa with an attacking outlet, help Ian Maatsen deal with Bukayo Saka and keep pace with White as he moved into midfield from right-back. He handled all three difficult tasks in the “serious, mature, responsible” manner that Emery demands of everyone he coaches.
It sounds strange to say this about a 19-year-old rookie, but Villa’s new boys can learn a lot from Hemmings. A player can be as skilled as he wants, but if he doesn’t do what Emery wants with the ball, he won’t play many games.
Mbaye is a two-time Champions League winner, Goretzka has 17 major trophies and Garnacho is approaching 200 senior appearances at the age of 22 – but Hemmings is showing the way. All Villa fans will be hoping the new men can get up to speed as quickly as he did.
