Aston Villa have made a strong start to the 2023/24 campaign, solidifying a Premier League top-six spot after eight matches and keeping tabs on those in Group E of the UEFA Europa Conference League. Unai Emery’s side have already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup but have otherwise impressed.
Five signings were made in the summer transfer window, with £80.5 million spent. Moussa Diaby, Pau Torres, Nicolo Zaniolo, Youri Tielemans and Clement Lenglet were the additions, and some have made better impressions than others. The same can be said with the rest of the squad, with the congested fixture schedule pushing players to the limits.
With the October international break giving fans and the media alike time to reflect on the start of the season, we’ve sat down and rated individual players out of 10. There are 29 Villans judged, including three who are actually yet to feature but are expected to have a strong impact going forward. Click through the pages for a full analysis.
5. Ezri Konsa - 8
Stood out like a sore thumb in the 2-1 Carabao Cup defeat to Everton and wasn’t his usual self in the 3-0 loss at Liverpool but has otherwise been near-enough faultless. We mention the errors first because he makes everything else look faultless. He's also just earned his first England call-up as a testament to his fine work. | Getty Images
6. Tyrone Mings - 6
Only played 31 minutes before suffering a season-ending injury at Newcastle, so it’s not possible to give Mings anything higher than a six. We wish him all the best with his recovery. | Getty Images
7. Pau Torres - 8
The big-money signing has settled in very well and has secured a place in the starting XI for most weeks. It may feel like we're giving too many eights out but it would be tricky not to give another to Pau – he's been that good. | Getty Images
8. Diego Carlos - 7
Still working hard to get back to full sharpness but has done a brilliant job to get back into things confidently after such a lengthy injury. Has looked composed and particularly impressive with his last-ditch defending, making plenty of late blocks and lunges. | Getty Images