Aston Villa transfer comparison shows Unai Emery rebuild for what it really is exactly 12 months on
Aston Villa’s summer transfer window is beginning to take shape after a relatively quiet start to the window.
Youri Tielemans has completed his move to Manchester United, while Lucas Digne is expected to follow him out of Villa Park.
The departures are seeing Unai Emery lose two of his most experienced and regularly used players.
However, Villa are already responding, with Johan Manzambi closing in on a major transfer from Freiburg.
As covered by Villa News, the exciting Swiss international would be a real statement signing, signalling a potential new approach for boss Emery.
And looking back to 12 months ago, we examine how the club's business has changed.
Aston Villa's recent business compared with last summer
A year ago on 15 July 2025, Villa confirmed the signing of Marco Bizot from Brest, with the shotstopper the third signing after Yasin Ozcan and Zepiqueno Redmond at that point.
Their only permanent first-team departure by that stage was Kaine Kesler-Hayden, who joined Coventry City in a deal reportedly worth around £5million.
The situation is significantly different this summer.
Tielemans has officially completed a permanent move to Manchester United after the Red Devils activated his reported £35m release clause.
Digne is also expected to return to Paris Saint-Germain, with the French champions reportedly prepared to trigger a release clause worth around £10m - as per ESPN.
These deals follow the permanent departures of Donyell Malen and Enzo Barrenechea, while Lewis Dobbin is also set to complete a move to Southampton.
Having raised around £70m so far, they have been able to fund the move for Manzambi, but there could still be departures on the cards as Arsenal continue to target Morgan Rogers.
Have Aston Villa had to be ruthless with sales?
The Tielemans sale came as a huge shock to everyone involved with Villa, simply as a result of how quickly it came about.
But, while Villa did not want to sell initially, accepting this could prove easier given that they have made £35m from a free transfer.
In a period in which the Midlanders are under such financial scrutiny, any additional revenue stream can be spun into a positive.
The fact of the matter is that there must be an element of ruthlessness. Tielemans does not have long left at his peak, and he would not have commanded a big fee before his contract expiry in 2028, meaning that now was the right time to make a sale if he was going to leave.
It is a huge window for Aston Villa, and to nail their recruitment, they will have to be ruthless with the outgoings too.
Emery would not want to say goodbye to his stars in an ideal world, but there does seem to be a changing of the guard at Villa Park, with the squad already getting much younger on average with Manzambi coming in and Tielemans going out.