The Aston Villa Courier
Squad19 Jun 2028
The knee: Anthony Bailey out for 22 days
22 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Aston Villa lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market19 Jun 2028
Evann Guessand moves on
Southampton pay $76.9M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Market19 Jun 2028
Aston Villa say no — this time
The offer from Brighton for Zion Suzuki was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market19 Jun 2028
Samuel Iling-Junior asks to leave Aston Villa
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The dugout19 Jun 2028
Samuel Iling-Junior says Aston Villa went back on their word
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Transfer targets19 Jun 2028
An offer of $3.5M for Viktor Johansson
Aston Villa have gone to Stoke City with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Market19 Jun 2028
Aston Villa may not be able to give Alexander Isak what he wants
It is the most legitimate ambition in the sport and the hardest for most clubs to satisfy. Alexander Isak wants continental football; whether Aston Villa can provide it is a question about the next two seasons, not about him.
Transfer targets19 Jun 2028
Norwich City tell Aston Villa: Liam Gibbs is not for sale
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Boardroom19 Jun 2028
Aston Villa go back to the board over Jonathan Varane
The number the board signed off was not enough. It has been asked again and raised its own offer to $3.3M — a club that wants Jonathan Varane enough to be asked twice.
In brief
- Transfer targets Malick Yalcouyé is a medical away from Aston Villa
- Squad A falling-out at Aston Villa
- Boardroom Aston Villa have asked about the manager