The four other Brazilians to play for Aston Villa as Unai Emery’s first January signing confirmed
Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Brazilian winger Alysson from Gremio in their first addition of the January transfer window.
Alysson comes in for an initial £8.7million, with the potential for a further £1.75m in add-ons in the future.
The 19-year-old will be just the fifth Brazilian to ever play for Villa when he makes his debut for Unai Emery’s side.
Here, Villa News look back at the four that came before him, and whether their spells with the Midlands outfit were successful.
Wesley – Club Brugge (£22m)
Aston Villa signed Wesley from Club Brugge back in the summer of 2019 ahead of their first season back in the Premier League.
The centre-forward came in with big expectations, but his time in the Midlands was marred by a very serious knee injury just six months after he moved to Villa Park.
Wesley scored five Premier League goals in the first half of his debut campaign at Villa, but after rupturing his cruciate ligament against Burnley in January 2020, he spent 480 days out.
The 29-year-old would go on to make just four more top-flight appearances for the Villans before eventually leaving permanently in the summer of 2023.
Douglas Luiz – Manchester City (£15m)
In the same summer as signing Wesley, Aston Villa also added Douglas Luiz to their ranks.
The defensive midfielder joined from Manchester City for a reported fee of £15m, which proved to be an exceptional piece of business.
Luiz made over 30 Premier League appearances in each of his five seasons at Villa Park, scoring nine top-flight goals in his final campaign at the club.
However, with Villa struggling to meet profit and sustainability rules, Luiz was sold to Juventus at the end of the 2023-24 season for £42.3million.
Philippe Coutinho – Barcelona (£17m)
Philippe Coutinho initially joined Villa on loan from Barcelona in January 2022, back when Steven Gerrard was in charge.
After scoring five and picking up three assists in the Premier League in the second half of the 2021-22 campaign, the Brazilian signed permanently in the summer for a reported fee of £17m.
However, he failed to ever hit the heights of his six-month loan spell with the Midlands outfit again, and was sent out on loan in the summer of 2023.
Coutinho only officially left Aston Villa last summer, moving back to Brazil to join Vasco.
Diego Carlos – Sevilla (£26m)
Diego Carlos was the most recent Brazilian to sign for Aston Villa, joining from Sevilla ahead of the 2022-23 campaign for a reported fee of £26m.
The centre-back’s time with the Midlands outfit was marred by injuries, and he only made 40 Premier League appearances during his three years at Villa Park.
Carlos was sold by Aston Villa last January after becoming a bit-part player under Emery, joining Turkish side Fenerbahce.
The Brazilian is now playing his football for Como in Serie A under former Arsenal and Barcelona star Cesc Fabregas.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest Aston Villa news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @villanews247