Debunking the bizarre Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio myth at Aston Villa
Aston Villa have come under fire for their spending after a frustrating summer.
After Villa were hit with the threat of a UEFA ban, they were forced to stick to the rules and limit their outlay for the most recent summer window.
This came after Unai Emery, Monchi, and Co. took a gamble in the winter window with the hope of securing Champions League football at Villa Park.
Marcus Rashford joined Villa on loan from Manchester United, Marco Asensio came in from PSG, and Axel Disasi signed temporarily from Chelsea late on in the winter window.
This trio of signings have been scrutinised at this early stage of the new season, but the reason behind this is truly unfair.
Aston Villa slammed for winter spending
It is fair to say that securing a top-five finish last campaign was the golden goose that could have saved the Villans from financial frustration.
If it wasn’t for Villa being on the wrong end of a Thomas Bramall decision against Manchester United, they could have done exactly that.
The B6 club went on to lose at Old Trafford, finish sixth and be stuck in the Europa League without the monetary benefits of Champions League football.
This has seen Villa struggle in the transfer market this summer, sparking Ezri Konsa to complain about PSR while on international duty.
Those outside of the claret and blue faithful have since criticised the defender, suggesting it is Villa’s own fault for the mess they found themselves in.
This has seen many point to the loan signing of high earners, Rashford, Asensio and Disasi last winter, which seems like a fair point until you take into account their huge impact in B6.
Aston Villa right to take transfer risk
There is no getting away from the fact that this trio were on big money and ultimately pushed the revenue-to-wage ratio up to its limit.
With that being said, earning Champions League qualification would have helped to right that and resulted in a much more positive summer.
Having finished outside the top five on goal difference, it is fair to say that the Villans were so close to achieving their goal.
This was certainly thanks in part to the impact of Rashford and Asensio, who were excellent as a duo after coming in on loan last season.
From the day they signed to the final day of the campaign, Villa were the most in-form team in the Premier League, above Manchester City and Chelsea, picking up four more points than eventual title winners, Liverpool.
| Position | Club | Matches played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goal difference | Points |
| 1. | Aston Villa | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | +10 | 28 |
| 2. | Manchester City | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | +11 | 27 |
| 3. | Chelsea | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | +8 | 26 |
| 4. | Newcastle United | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | +12 | 25 |
| 5. | Liverpool | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | +9 | 24 |
If this doesn’t show just how good these loan signings were in terms of impact, then nothing else will.
The final performance of the season just wasn’t good enough in the end, not helped by a shocking refereeing decision, and that resulted in a tough summer.
To argue that it was the fault of these loan deals alone for Villa’s problem isn’t completely accurate.
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