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.
25. Jaden Philogene - 6
Sold to Hull City after featuring for just three competitive minutes. Looked a real star in pre-season but wanted to leave for better game time. Left for around £3.5 million. | Getty Images
26. Bertrand Traore - 6
Hasn’t had much of a chance to play – partly down to injuries – and so there isn’t much to judge the winger from. Will likely struggle to get minutes with so many players ahead of him in the pecking order. | Getty Images
27. Moussa Diaby - 8
Villa’s risky £52 million record signing has hit the ground running superbly with three goals and five assists in 17 games across all competitions. Gets fans off their seats with his tricky footwork and darting pace down the flanks. Compliments Watkins so well and has become one of the first names on the team sheet. | Getty Images
28. Jhon Duran - 7
Having to accept an off-the-bench role this campaign but has taken that in his stride, with four goals in 305 minutes. Game time has dropped considerably since September, however, even in Europe. | Getty Images