Amadou Onana's serious injury at the World Cup has further complicated Aston Villa's summer plans.
The 24-year-old Belgian midfielder suffered an ACL tear in the round of 16 match against the USA, ruling him out for most of Villa's new season. As the team's central midfielder and the club's record signing, Onana's long-term absence will have widespread implications for Unai Emery's team and will largely alter Villa's room for maneuver in the transfer market.
According to reports from the English media, Europa League champions Villa had previously expressed internal frustration at having to comply with financial regulations while also dealing with long-term injury problems. Unfortunately, they are accustomed to this situation. In recent years, while grappling with financial regulations, Villa has successively suffered long-term injuries to Boubacar Camara, Mings, and Buendía. The club has to pay these players' salaries while also signing replacements, which puts greater pressure on them to comply with UEFA's squad cost rules.
This runs counter to their original plans for this summer. For example, Villa was willing to sell one of their left-backs, Maatsen or Digne, this summer because their combined salaries were too high, and the club was recently fined for failing to meet UEFA's squad cost rule threshold. This rule requires clubs not to spend more than 70% of their turnover on football-related wages.
Now, Onana's injury puts Villa in a similar predicament. Although the FIFA Club Protection Programme will compensate Onana for injuries sustained while participating in international competitions, the annual cap is only 6.6 million euros.
This summer was already exceptionally difficult, and Onana's injury has made things even worse.
According to reports from the English media, in order to comply with UEFA's settlement agreement – ensuring losses of less than 60 million euros over three years – Villa must effectively balance its books by selling players. Simply put, their financial situation will be assessed from the 2024-25 season to the 2026-27 season. Given the losses in the first two seasons, they need to achieve substantial profits in the 2026-27 season to ensure losses remain below the UEFA threshold.
This means Villa must sell players, and sell them for a good price. After completing sales, they will then proceed to bring in bigger summer reinforcements, with the primary goal of signing a right winger – West Ham's Bowen and Paris Saint-Germain's Ibrahim Mbaye are on the shortlist – and another attacker.
Sporting director Monchi has always wanted to reduce the wage bill for young players, as funds are limited, and high wages hinder future player sales. To alleviate financial pressure, Villa is considering selling several academy players.
Reliance on sales means that transfers and other target positions will be determined by player departures.
Villa had no plans to strengthen the midfield. They did admire Tottenham's Lucas Bergvall, but could not afford his transfer fee. Villa originally intended to set up their new season midfield with Onana, Camara (according to English media, Camara aims to be fully fit by the start of preseason after his injury in January), Tielemans, and Barkley (initial talks for a new contract have taken place).
Tielemans has two years left on his contract and has suitors in both the Premier League and Saudi Arabia. His situation also needs to be monitored. Villa wants to offer him a new contract, but due to financial constraints, he, like many players who might extend their contracts, has been told to wait until late summer when the situation will be clearer.
Agents have long told the English media that despite initial contract extension talks with several players (Tielemans, Barkley, Pau Torres, and Konsa), no deals could be signed. Potential suitors have noticed this and view some players as possible market opportunities.
The same applies to Bogarde. Villa was initially inclined to extend his contract, keeping him as a midfield backup, but they also admitted that a reasonable offer for the 22-year-old would bring pure profit on the books. Now, given Onana's injury, his future will be re-evaluated.
Villa must find a replacement for Onana, but financial conditions dictate that they can only choose low-cost options – such as at right-back, where Villa's €10 million deal with Flamengo for Emerson is progressing slowly – or loans, and loans with buy options or mandatory buy clauses.
But frankly, the real solution is to complete a major sale.
Villa's biggest asset is Morgan Rogers. They are determined not to be undervalued for the English forward, but competitors see Villa's struggle with UEFA – and possibly Onana's injury – as putting them at a disadvantage.
The club's stance is that they do not want Rogers to leave. If substantial interest does emerge, their asking price will exceed the £116 million Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest for Elliott Anderson. Others involved in potential deals believe the actual transfer fee required would be lower, as industry sources indicated earlier in the summer that the benchmark was actually the £100 million Villa sold Grealish for in 2021. Whether the transfer record for a British player can be broken again depends on the buyer's willingness and the decision of Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris, who will have the final say.
All of this leaves Villa with no choice but to wait.
Signings will largely depend on who leaves. For example, if Emiliano Martínez leaves, Villa already has a shortlist of goalkeepers and has made contact. But any action depends on whether Villa can receive a suitable offer for the Argentine international.
All of this is frustrating, especially when they see other Premier League rivals – teams that often make mistakes in the market – still able to strengthen.
Onana has struggled to stay fit since joining Villa in 2024, but this injury is the most serious. He was supposed to be a key player in a team that needed major surgery to remain competitive in the new season. Now, they must also fill the void he leaves behind.
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