Intriguing new data names Aston Villa's three best and worst players this season - including £32m defender
Aston Villa have had a shambolic start to the 2025/26 and are hoping for huge improvements
Aston Villa have started the 2025/26 season in lacklustre fashion. They are without a win after five league matches and have only scored one top-flight goal so far. They were held to a 1-1 draw against 10-man Sunderland at the Stadium of Light last time out in the league and are in desperate need of a strong performance and most importantly a victory to get their season on track.
Unai Emery, who was heavily critical of his side against the Black Cats, takes on Fulham this afternoon at Craven Cottage in a match which could prove watershed in the direction the team take this season. The Spaniard has many important selections to consider in the run-up to this one at Villa Park, including whether to stick by Ollie Watkins after his goalless run in the league or give Evann Guessand the chance to play as a centre forward from the start for the first time this season.
With that in mind, we have decided to focus on the three best and worst performing players for Aston Villa so far after five matches.
Aston Villa’s three worst performing players so far
Based on data from WhoScored, it’s clear to see that Donyell Malen, Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres are the three worst performing Aston Villa players so far. This list is based solely on players that have started a league match this season, which is the reason Bradley Burrowes (5.83), Jadon Sancho (6) and Victor Lindelof (6.04) aren’t focused on as the trio have only appeared as substitutes in the league so far.
Former Borussia Dortmund winger Malen has an average rating of 6.03. He’s started just one match and that came against Crystal Palace in a lopsided 3-0 defeat at home. Other than that he’s played four times from the bench, failing to score or contribute an assist.
Malen has found things frustrating at Villa since making the move and is yet to really establish himself as a first team regular. He has three goals in 23 matches in total since joining and they all came consecutively in a fruitful run in April.
Also struggling for form at the moment is England international Ezri Konsa, who has a rating of 6.16. His season got off to a nightmare start when he was sent off against Newcastle United and he’s not yet fully recovered. The 27-year-old has started the last three matches since returning from suspension but has only managed one clean sheet and is still waiting to taste victory. He’s been an ever-present in recent years but currently looks shaky and indecisive at the back.
Fellow defender Pau Torres, a £32m signing, has also been signalled out for lacking consistency. He has an average rating of 6.17 this season and at times has looked exposed defensively due to his lack of pace. He’s only started one match - a 1-0 defeat to Brentford, and has otherwise been largely limited to the subs bench.
The three best Aston Villa stars so far this season
As it stands, Tyrone Mings is Aston Villa’s top performing player with an average rating of 7.02. He was rock solid against Newcastle on the opening day in a 0-0 draw in an afternoon where he had plenty to do defensively, and also helped the team to a clean sheet against Everton. He’s yet to miss a minute of football in the league this season.
Similarly, Amadou Onana had also started the season brightly, averaging a rating of 7.01. The Belgian worked hard in the opener against Newcastle and did okay against Brentford despite being booked in a 1-0 defeat. He’s missed the last three matches with a hamstring injury and is currently a player that Unai Emery’s side miss in the middle of the park.
Right-back Matty Cash has also been praised at times this season. He made a number of crucial inventions against Newcastle on match day one and is currently the only player in the Villa team to score a goal in the league. He’s so far got an average rating of 6.82, making him a safe bet to start most matches at right-back as things stand.