Aston Villa
Villa supporters on the 2025/26 prospects: squad depth, PSR and key players
Villa fans warn PSR limits, praise manager, back Malen to fight and praise new signing Guessand. Now
As the 2025/26 Premier League season approaches, we spoke to supporters from every club. Here are the views from Aston Villa fans on what matters heading into the campaign.
On lessons from last season they were clear: “That it’s a squad game. It’s no coincidence that our form picked up across the run-in, after improving our options with Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Donyell Malen.
A sticky point across the winter ultimately cost us Champions League football before the new arrivals added fresh energy. Sadly, business has been minimal over the summer…”
On the manager the verdict was emphatic: “One of the very best in the business. It’s easy to forget just how dire things were when he took over. But for a dodgy decision on the final day, we’d have been celebrating Champions League football in back-to-back seasons. These are the best times we’ve had in a long time and he is the driving force behind it.”
Transfers remain a concern. “Frustrating. It’s hard not to feel as if we’ve got our noses pressed against the Premier League’s glass ceiling when it comes to PSR. We’ve followed the Chelsea route in juggling around the women’s team to free funds but it still feels very much like our hands are tied.
Whether some want to admit it or not, PSR does have a purpose. I’m not quite as pitchforks out for the ‘Big Six Cartel’ as others, but there definitely needs to be some tweaks to the system allow ambitious clubs like ours a genuine chance to catch up.
That said, the recent recruit of Evann Guessand looks exciting. Having him and Morgan Rogers skipping past challenges could be a cheat code for Emery this season.”
On individuals: “Donyell Malen. The Dutchman seems to have the bit between his teeth in pre-season after last campaign’s snub from the Champions League squad. The arrival of Guessand has threatened his place again but he looks up for the fight.” Fans also highlighted: “Boubacar Kamara – but not by those inside Villa Park. Amid our PSR issues, I’m amazed that no club has tried their luck to sign him. Tying him down to a new long-term deal was our best signing of the summer. He’s crucial.”
The fixture they most want is clear: “Newcastle United on the opening weekend. Not only is it the return of the Premier League , but a genuine match-up against a direct rival. We either roll them over or get battered in recent meetings, with no in between. Let’s hope it’s the former this time around!”
On an opposition player admired: “Not much of a secret but I’ll go with Eberechi Eze. He was magnificent when Crystal Palace beat us in last season’s FA Cup semi-final.”
On expectations: “My heart says top four and head says top six. We appear more settled than a lot of the teams around us, so hopefully that bodes well. Champions League football back at Villa Park is what we all want. Getting there by winning the Europa League would be fine, too.”
Aston Villa
Garnacho’s social post after Aston Villa debut raises eyebrows over Chelsea exit
Garnacho marked his Aston Villa debut with an Instagram post that many read as a Chelsea dig.
Alejandro Garnacho’s first outing for Aston Villa quickly became a talking point after the winger appeared to aim a subtle message at Chelsea on social media.
Garnacho featured in Aston Villa’s 3-1 win over the Indonesia All-Stars as Unai Emery’s side opened their preseason schedule. It was his debut for the club, and he used Instagram afterwards to reflect on the occasion with a line many interpreted as a pointed reference to his former team.
“First start in three months,” Garnacho wrote on Instagram. “Happy to be enjoying football again, 1% every day. Thanks Indonesia!”
The post followed a season in which he did not start any of Chelsea’s final five Premier League matches and scored only once in the league, making his departure unsurprising. But it also fit a pattern that has followed the winger through previous moves.
Garnacho had already left Manchester United after admitting he had started to do “some bad things” towards the end of his time at Old Trafford. He also drew attention in February when, ahead of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup semifinal against Arsenal, he said, “Everyone knows how hard it is to play there. If, for example, Manchester United can beat them there, we can do it perfectly.” Chelsea then lost 1-0, and Garnacho was mocked on social media by United supporters.
Later, after Chelsea lost 1-0 to Manchester United in the Premier League, Luke Shaw posted a picture of himself knocking Garnacho to the floor. Other United players commented beneath it, adding to the sense that relations had deteriorated.
Garnacho has often generated headlines when leaving clubs, and this latest message after his Aston Villa debut will only add to that reputation. Yet the bigger issue now is his output on the pitch. United once viewed him as a major talent after his breakthrough in the 2022-23 season, but this stage of his career may depend on whether he can make the right kind of impact in 2026/27.
Analytics & Stats
One priority signing each Premier League club should target before the window closes
A club-by-club look at the main transfer priority every Premier League side still needs to address.
With less than a month left in the transfer window, Premier League clubs are still expected to be busy. Incomings and outgoings remain likely across the division, and every side still appears to have at least one clear gap to fill before the deadline.
Arsenal may be attracting attention with their pursuit of Vinícius Júnior, but their bigger need is in central midfield. Declan Rice carried too much of the load last season, while Martín Zubimendi faded after the break and Myles Lewis-Skelly is not yet fully trusted there. Another box-to-box midfielder would help enormously.
Aston Villa could soon be short at left back if Lucas Digne leaves, which would leave Ian Maatsen as the only senior option. Bournemouth need more depth in wide areas, Brentford still require a more natural left back, and Brighton & Hove Albion must replace the goals lost with Danny Welbeck’s move to Chelsea.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have done plenty of work already but still have not addressed the goalkeeper position. Robert Sánchez improved in 2025-26, yet the club still look in need of a top-class solution.
Elsewhere, Coventry City are close to signing Carl Rushworth permanently and would then turn to left back. Crystal Palace need centre-back reinforcements after losing Marc Guéhi and Maxence Lacroix, while Everton must add a defensive midfielder after Idrissa Gana Gueye’s departure.
Fulham will look for winger depth after strengthening up front, Hull City want more options in attack, and Ipswich Town are still waiting for a central midfielder. Leeds United may also need another striker to cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury record.
Liverpool’s most pressing issue is out wide, Manchester City need a right back, Manchester United still want a more destructive midfielder, and Newcastle are alarmingly short at left back. Nottingham Forest must replace Elliot Anderson in midfield, Sunderland need more balance on the left side, and Tottenham Hotspur have already moved aggressively to rebuild after last season’s collapse.
Arsenal
Premier League’s longest-serving managers and the rapid reset shaping 2026/27
A summer reset has left the Premier League with a long list of new managers and just one clear outlier.
The Premier League remains a ruthless place for managers, and the 2026/27 season begins with that reality clearer than ever. A summer of upheaval has left dugouts across the division occupied by a fresh wave of appointments, while one club is still waiting to name a new head coach.
At the top of the list, Mikel Arteta stands alone as the league’s longest-serving manager. Appointed by Arsenal on Dec. 22, 2019, he has outlasted every other current rival and remains comfortably ahead of the pack. Behind him comes Unai Emery, who has been in charge of Aston Villa since Nov. 1, 2022, followed by Daniel Farke, who took over Leeds United on July 4, 2023.
Further down the rankings, the turnover becomes even more obvious. Régis Le Bris and Fabian Hürzeler both arrived in July 2024, while Frank Lampard, David Moyes, Sergej Jakirović, Keith Andrews and Michael Carrick all joined their clubs during 2024 and 2025. The list then tightens further still, with a cluster of appointments made only months before the new campaign.
There are notable cases throughout. Roberto De Zerbi, hired by Tottenham Hotspur on March 31, 2026, sits just outside the top 10. Michael Carrick is inside it after first being named interim Manchester United boss in January and then permanently hired in May. At the other extreme, Álvaro Arbeloa is the latest arrival, taking charge of Fulham on July 7 after an unsuccessful spell as Real Madrid boss.
A number of other clubs have also changed course recently, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth. Over half the division has turned to new managers in 2026 if Newcastle United are included, with the club still yet to appoint Eddie Howe’s successor.
For now, Arteta remains the benchmark for staying power in a league that rarely gives managers much time.
