Aston Villa’s 2025/26 Premier League campaign has started ominously.
After finishing sixth last season under Unai Emery, qualifying once more for European competition, Villa are now grappling with worrying issues.
They remain goalless in the league, PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) constraints have dramatically shaped their transfer business and key players from last season have departed.
The question for supporters is whether this is just a temporary loss of form or whether we are witnessing the sort of decline that has followed Emery elsewhere at Valencia, Arsenal and Sevilla.
Villa’s summer transfer window has been heavily impacted by financial limitations. The club is working under Premier League’s strict PSR and has had to be mindful not only of spending on incoming players, but also of achieving profit from sales.
One of the major moves was the sale of Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle for £39 million, which is reported as “pure PSR profit.” Other departures include Leon Bailey, who has moved to Roma.
Also gone are Marcus Rashford, whose loan expired and who has since moved on to Barcelona, and Marco Asensio, who had been on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
These losses are not just about depth but also about identity: Villa lost players whose skillsets offered match-changing moments off the bench.
Meanwhile, Villa’s incoming business has been modest. Harvey Elliott’s arrival from Liverpool on an initial loan deal with a purchase obligation marks an exciting addition.
But aside from the star of England’s recent European Under-21 Championship triumph, they have signed centre-back Yasin Ozcan from Kasimpasa for £5.83 million, goalkeeper Marco Bizot for an undisclosed fee, Ivorian striker Evann Guessand for around £26 million and veteran defender Victor Lindelof on a free transfer.
🗣️ Unai Emery asked about Emi Martinez and simply repeats Marco Bizot's name.👀 pic.twitter.com/op6xQI1X69
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) August 31, 2025
In the arrival of Jadon Sancho on loan from Manchester United, Villa will hope to replicate the attacking spark Rashford offered.
But the former Borussia Dortmund winger has slipped so far from form and fitness in recent seasons as an Old Trafford outcast that a Rashford-esque rejuvenation seems less likely.
One of the most alarming signs of Villa’s downturn is that after four games, they have still not yet scored a Premier League goal this season.
They have drawn 0-0 with Newcastle, lost 1-0 to Brentford, suffered the 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace and, most recently, played out a 0-0 stalemate with Everton.
The lack of goals isn’t purely a matter of finishing. Villa have a reduced attacking output so far this term, creating fewer clear chances and showing less involvement in the final third.
Tactical issues, isolated strikers, lack of service and an absence of creative energy are recurring themes.
The losses of Rashford, Asensio, Ramsey and Bailey are weighing heavily. Rashford and Asensio were contributors not only in goals but in pulling defenders, creating space and providing cutting creativity around the penalty area.
Ramsey was a homegrown heartbeat in midfield, offering energy and thrust. Bailey, even if often used off the bench, provided unpredictability and impact.
All this underlines that Villa are having to rebuild or at least significantly reconfigure the squad under financial constraints, rather than reinforce from a position of strength.
Emery himself has acknowledged the circumstances. Villa must navigate the rules and find a way to regroup and grow as a unit in spite of them. But there is an alarming statistical trend relating to the manager’s own effectiveness.
Historically, in previous stops with Valencia, Arsenal and Sevilla, Emery has started strongly but form tailed off after an initial high. His final tenures at those clubs were marked out by noticeable dips ins point per game (PPG) and eventual league finishes in his second or third seasons.
There is concern that the same curve is repeating: a strong formative period followed by slowing momentum.
Even discounting the unhelpfully small sample size of Villa’s 0.5 points per game average for the current campaign, the Midlands side’s PPG has fallen season on season thus far under Emery, from 1.96 to 1.79 to 1.76.
It should also be pointed out that even the lower end of that range would represent a more than respectable average and likely enough for European qualification, but Villa’s poor start has left them with serious ground to make up.
The pressure mounts as fans who’ve sampled thrilling Champions League nights under the Villa Park lights expect progress to continue.
There is understanding that PSR has clipped the wings of Villa’s ambition, but that alone will not explain away a major regression. Handcuffed though they have been in the transfer market, there is too much talent in all departments of Emery’s squad for them to be the only goalless side in England’s top seven divisions at present.
Damian Vidagany, Villa’s director of football operations, took to social media to plead for patience after the goalless draw with Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Like the Toffees’ impressive new arena, he believes something significant is being built.
“A point that doesn't shine, yes, we need goals, of course they will come... but a point that strengthens us and our spirit,” he wrote on X.
“We’re working well and we'll soon improve. The first stone of a magnificent construction never attracts the attention of spectators. But it's very necessary.”
For now, Villa and Emery can sell their poor start to the season as a necessary backwards step before an upcoming forward leap.
If it continues much longer, however, it will more resemble a freefall.
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