With the summer transfer window now slammed shut, HITC Sport have ranked all nine of Aston Villa’s done deals from Boubacar Kamara and Leander Dendoncker to Rory Wilson.
The Villa Park natives enjoyed a strong start to the market, with Steven Gerrard welcoming a host of new faces early on. But the sales ultimately closed with a tinge of disappointment in Birmingham, as the Villans rushed to get late transfers across the line with results lacking.
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Aston Villa had hoped Gerrard was assembling a squad capable of pushing for qualification into a European competition. But one win from their opening five Premier League matches has left the claret-and-blue club 19th in the early table and pressure mounting on Gerrard.
Aston Villa will hope their deals done in the summer will prove enough for Gerrard to turn their form around. So, with that in mind, who were the hits and who were the misses with the Villans during the summer sales, now that the market has slammed shut until January?
1) Boubacar Kamara: Aston Villa secured early done deal for Marseille sensation
Aston Villa secured one of the bargains of the summer sales in May, as Gerrard agreed an early done deal for Boubacar Kamara. The Villans convinced the French midfielder to move to Birmingham in a Bosman transfer, having allowed his contract with Marseille to expire.
Kamara put pen to paper on a five-year contract at Villa Park, ending the 22-year-old’s 17-year association with Les Phoceens. He has since started in all five of Aston Villa’s Premier League fixtures, and opened their Carabao Cup second-round win over Bolton Wanderers.
Gerrard has utilised the three-cap France international – also capable of playing at centre-back – as his midfield anchor with each appearance. And he has proven to be an immense addition, commanding the pitch as Villa’s standout performer while learning a new league.
2) Diego Carlos: What could have been for Aston Villa after early Sevilla deal
Aston Villa strived to strengthen their defence in June with a £26m move for Sevilla centre-back Diego Carlos. But the Brazilian has proven to be a case of what could have been, with the Brazilian only making two appearances before rupturing his Achilles tendon in August.
Carlos was to be Gerrard’s new backline commander after helping Sevilla register La Liga’s best defence last season. They conceded just 30 goals in 38 matches, and he showed early on why Aston Villa bought him after dealing with anything that came his way at both ends.
3) Leander Dendoncker: Wolves sold Belgian to Aston Villa in deadline day deal
Belgian midfielder Leander Dendoncker joined Aston Villa in a £13m deal done on deadline day from Wolves. The West Midlands rivals agreed the fee for the 27-year-old the morning of his move, following four years at Molineux for 159 appearances across all competitions.
Bruno Lage no longer required the 29-cap international after signing Matheus Nunes from Sporting Lisbon for a club-record £42m. But Dendoncker will now offer Gerrard strength in central midfield and an additional option at centre-back, who is often unfazed by pressure.
4) Philippe Coutinho: Aston Villa agreed cut-price deal to retain Barcelona loanee
Aston Villa paid Barcelona £17m to retain Philippe Coutinho in May after initially hiring the Brazilian on loan this January. Their temporary deal with the Catalan club included a £33m option to buy the playmaker, but would agree a cut-price move after an up-and-down run.
Coutinho started strongly in claret-and-blue with four goals and three assists over his first eight appearances. But the 30-year-old has since only added one goal and no assists from his next 17 outings. He has also only started three of five Premier League games this term.
Gerrard elected to drop Coutinho to the bench after two underwhelming performances to start the season. He majorly struggled to make an impression at Bournemouth and left the pitch against Everton without much joy, like his return to the XI against West Ham United.
5) Jan Bednarek: Aston Villa struck Southampton loan as West Ham deal collapsed
Jan Bednarek was among the last deals done by Premier League clubs this summer, having joined Aston Villa in a deadline day year-long loan from Southampton. The Poland centre-back was on course to join West Ham United, but his London Stadium switch fell through.
Gerrard targeted a last-gasp move for Bednarek in response to losing Carlos through injury for up to nine months. The 26-year-old would, otherwise, have likely not been on the Villa Park natives’ radar, but offers valuable Premier League experience with 133 career games.
6) Robin Olsen: Roma sold goalkeeper to Aston Villa after initial loan deal
Aston Villa paid AS Roma €3.5m (£3m) in June to retain Robin Olsen, following the Sweden shot-stopper’s initial loan move. Gerrard hired 32-year-old in January to add depth behind Emiliano Martinez, who he replaced on the final day of last term away to Manchester City.
Olsen has only featured for Aston Villa in the 3-2 defeat at the Etihad Stadium to close out the 2021/22 term so far. He has otherwise sat on the bench for 22 Premier League fixtures and will remain a valuable backup at Villa Park through the course of the ‘22/23 campaign.
7) Rory Wilson: Steven Gerrard returned to raid Rangers for Aston Villa deal
Gerrard returned to raid his former side, Rangers, this June for Scotland youth striker Rory Wilson. Aston Villa agreed a fee of £350k for the 16-year-old, who has not made his senior debut – either whilst at Ibrox or since moving to Birmingham and joining their youth ranks.
The U17 international has enjoyed a sprightly start in the Villans’ U18s with two goals over his first three appearances. Wilson struck both against Brighton & Hove Albion in the U18 Premier League, before his U21 debut in the EFL Trophy off the bench at AFC Wimbledon.
8) Ludwig Augustinsson: Johan Lage seals reunion with Sevilla raid
Aston Villa paid Sevilla £500k in July to hire Ludwig Augustinsson on loan for a season. The Villans also have an option to purchase the Sweden defender at the end of their temporary deal, which reunites sporting director, Johan Lange, with his former FC Copenhagen talent.
Gerrard has only kept Augustinsson to a reserve role so far, however, with the 28-year-old occupying just a place on the bench. The left-back has not played a single second after five Premier League no-shows, whilst omitted from the side for the EFL Cup tie away to Bolton.
9) Ewan Simpson: Aston Villa secured early done deal for Hearts gem
Ewan Simpson cost Aston Villa a six-figure fee in July when the 16-year-old agreed to leave Hearts. The Villans owed the Scottish Premiership side compensation for his development, which had attracted Gerrard’s attention whilst the Villa boss was still in charge at Rangers.
Aston Villa’s early done deal for the Scottish midfielder has so far only returned a bit-part presence at U18 level. Simpson made his first appearance of the season whilst the Villans won 5-2 away at Brighton in the U18 Premier League in an attacking, centralised position.