Aston Villa must conduct internal review as recruitment team have questions to answer
I can’t get over the fact that Aston Villa sold Donyell Malen without having an instant replacement lined up.
Malen was allowed to leave Villa and join Roma in a deal that made very little sense to anyone outside the four walls of Bodymoor Heath.
There is already a lack of squad depth on show in B6 without selling someone like Malen, who has been a constant threat for Villa in attacking areas.
That was on show when Villa lost 1-0 to Everton on Sunday, in a hugely frustrating and objectively terrible performance from Unai Emery’s side.
John McGinn went off injured, and Villa Park was forced to endure 72 minutes of Evann Guessand, raising further questions about the recruitment team in the Midlands.
Donyell Malen sale makes no sense
Jack Grealish and Everton secured victory over Villa with relative ease as the hosts created so few clear-cut chances it was almost embarrassing.
I don’t need to remind supporters just how bad the claret and blue outfit were against the Toffees, but I do need to question Emery and those around him.
Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley are already out injured, and now McGinn has joined them on the sidelines.
Aston Villa substitutes vs Everton:
- James Wright (GK)
- Marco Bizot (GK)
- Andres Garcia
- Lucas Digne
- Tyrone Mings
- Victor Lindelof
- George Hemmings
- Jamaldeen Jimoh Aloba
- Evann Guessand
The Villa skipper started on the right and was ultimately replaced by Guessand, but surely it would have been Malen if he had been available.
But no.
Fresh off the back of nine goal involvements across all competitions for Villa, he’s now scoring goals for Roma, while his old side looks devoid of any quality in front of goal.
I don’t understand who would sign off on a high-profile player’s exit without having a direct replacement already in the pipeline who could feature against Everton.
It raises massive questions and throws further doubt over the recruitment team, who have already come under increased scrutiny over the past 12 months.
What are the Aston Villa recruitment team doing?
The fact that Villa are seemingly destined for Champions League qualification is papering over the cracks of some shocking transfer business.
I challenge any supporter in B6 to pick out the last signing who went on to have an immediate impact as part of the first team under Emery.
Last summer saw Guessand, Victor Lindelof, Jadon Sancho, Harvey Elliott and Marco Bizot come in…
Hardly inspiring, is it?
PSR and SCR have had an effect, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that a free transfer for a 31-year-old Lindelof is the best signing of the summer.
Going 12 months further into the past saw Onana, Ian Maatsen, Cameron Archer, Jaden Philogene, Samuel Iling-Junior, Lewis Dobbin, Enzo Barrenechea and Barkley come in.
The first two have been good in spells, but hardly consistently excellent for a combined £87million, while the rest have left Villa or are a bit-part player in the case of Barkley.
You have to really go back to the summer of 2023, where Moussa Diaby, Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans came in, before there are truly good things to say about recruitment in B6.
Although that trio were also joined by Clement Lenglet and Nicolo Zaniolo on loan.
A pinch of salt has to be taken, however, considering Diaby left almost exactly a year to the day after he signed, so he isn’t having an impact in the Midlands anymore.
This all proves how crazy the job Emery has done at Villa Park, but points towards massive changes being needed to the recruitment strategy and potentially the staff.
Scrutiny is only going to pile up as the January window goes on, and I’m not truly sure that a deal for Tammy Abraham is the answer.
The Villans need reinforcements and quick with just two weeks remaining until deadline day, something which could make way for an internal review of transfer failings in B6.
Stay up to date this winter with our Aston Villa transfer tracker. Click to see every done deal at Villa Park, plus expert reaction from our team of writers.