Aston Villa were beaten 2-1 by an under-par but clinical PSG side and Madjo scored the Villa goal in the first half to draw the Europa League winners level for a while.

Unai Emery could have seen his team get battered. PSG haven’t played lots in pre-season so far and had many players maintain their World Cup interest into the latter rounds, but the back-to-back Champions League winners are quite something when they’re at full pelt.

Nevertheless, Villa missed a ton of chances of their own late in the first half before Madjo smashed in his first competitive Villa goal. They might lose him in January but if they do it will be for a billion pounds.

Here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions.

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Aston Villa played without fear against Paris Saint-Germain and it looked good on them. The Europa League winners never follow up with the UEFA Super Cup and back-to-back Champions League winners PSG came closer than most in Salzburg tonight.

Villa ended the first half well and started the second at the same level, causing the best club team in the world huge problems throughout.

In the end, one foot’s worth of sloppiness in the offside line was the difference and PSG were as clinical with their few chances as you’d expect.

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Here are our ratings after a creditable 2-1 defeat in Austria:

Marco Bizot - 6

Consistently made the right decisions with the ball at his feet. Made a great save from a deflected effort in the middle of the first half but could do absolutely nothing about the opening goal despite the shot being blasted within his reach.

Matty Cash - 6

Got stuck into Nuno Mendes in the first half and generally came out on top. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was a different challenge and Cash did well to keep him at bay until he dropped a shoulder to create half a yard of space and open the scoring.

Victor Lindelöf - 6

As ever, entirely comfortable in this sort of company. With Pau Torres alongside him, Lindelöf’s job with the ball is not a complicated one. Defended solidly when called upon.

Pau Torres - 6

The best passer on the pitch early on and afforded plenty of time with which to find his man. Soon overshadowed in possession by the European champions. Booked for a foul in the second half, very harshly in my view, and was substituted late.

Ian Maatsen - 6

Made a terrific start at left-back, protecting the ball well and intent on getting at defenders. Vital defensive intervention inside the first ten minutes to pinch the ball off Achraf Hakimi but gave the ball away shortly after the opening goal.

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Boubacar Kamara - 6

Started in full Kamara mode in his first competitive fixture since February. Defensively sound when required to provide an extra body at the back. Zipped Villa’s first shot just wide from 25 yards. Substituted with 19 minutes left.

João Gomes - 6

A very decent debut. Initially, his role was mostly to keep the shape while PSG showed little will to attack through the middle. Got no favours from the referee but still managed to put in a couple of trademark tackles. Booked in the second half. Standard. Substituted with a little over ten minutes to go.

John McGinn - 7

All-action and endless desire to win, but a difficult assignment against the best left side in the world. Provided superb service for Brian Madjo before the break including, finally, the assist for his first proper Villa goal. Substituted with 19 minutes left and got a yellow card on the way off.

Emi Buendía - 7

Formed Villa’s out-of-possession front two with Madjo. Full of energy and kept PSG honest with the ball at the back. His quality and invention in the final third make him undroppable at this point.

George Hemmings - 8

Flashes of genuine excellence. Played on the left of the three-man line behind Madjo and caused no end of problems when he moved across to the right in spells. Full of appetite to open his legs and attack open grass in the PSG half.

Clearly fouled in the box ten minutes from the end of the first half after outpacing Hakimi but stayed on his feet. Did his bit defensively in the Villa box too.

Brian Madjo - 7

Not over-awed in the slightest and never shy about getting a shot away. Worked himself into the ground on his competitive debut for Villa, leading the press intelligently and showing tactical discipline without the ball.

His physicality was a problem for PSG and he was within a foot or two of equalising with a header. Should have scored with his second and went close again when his low shot was blocked onto the post. He didn’t have to wait long before he smashed in the equaliser on the volley.

Substituted with 19 minutes to go.

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Substitutes

Tammy Abraham (for Madjo, 72) - Made his presence felt as Villa pushed for an equaliser and strong running nearly created the moment late on. 6

Lamare Bogarde (for Kamara, 72) - Top cameo off the bench. Three quick-fire examples of important defensive cover with 14 minutes to go and they weren’t the last. Positive early touches in tight spots. 7

Alysson (for McGinn, 72) - European debut. Nearly made a second equaliser with his first involvement, direct attacking in the right channel. 6

Tyrone Mings (for Torres, 79) - Late substitute. N/A

Ross Barkley (for Gomes, 79) - Late substitute. N/A

Villa have won a host of trophies in their long history and I always liked that they followed their European Cup win by adding the Super Cup even if its actual worth was insignificant when compared to the triumph that entitled them to play in it.

The same is true of Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain in Salzburg. Winning the Europa League was what really mattered but wouldn’t it be nice to be talking about two-time Super Cup champions on Thursday morning?

Equally, defeat in Austria would mean little. PSG are back-to-back Champions League winners, Villa a club delighted simply to have qualified for it twice in three seasons.

Villa manager Unai Emery has lost the Super Cup after all four of his previous Europa League wins, a record that is typical of the occasion. The Champions League winners usually win the Super Cup too.

This is a free hit.

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Aston Villa team news

Ollie Watkins – Emery has omitted the players involved in the final weekend of the World Cup in order to give them four weeks of recuperation time.

Ezri Konsa – Played in the third-placed play-off with England and is unavailable.

Emiliano Martínez – Played in the World Cup final and is unavailable.

Johan Manzambi – Injured.

John McGinn – Returned to training on Tuesday and is eligible to feature.

Alejandro Garnacho – Also available after training on Tuesday.

Brian Madjo – Has travelled to Salzburg despite not being named in the List A squad, which can be changed until midnight the day before the game.

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Predicted line-up

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Starting XI: Marco Bizot; Matty Cash, Victor Lindelöf, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen; Boubacar Kamara, João Gomes; Alysson, Emi Buendía, Alejandro Garnacho; Tammy Abraham.

Villa hunting for a fourth European trophy

I don’t really think the Super Cup counts as a European final but I’d be tempted to reassess should Villa extend their winning record in them to four out of four.

That’s the kind of thing that can work its way into the psyche of a football club and it would be no bad thing to have a positive relationship with winning big games at the highest level.

But Villa will be up against it. There are loads of reasons to rue the enforced sales of Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Lucas Digne, and one of the repercussions is that it will take until the end of the transfer window at a minimum to figure out what’s next and to carry it out.

In other words, Villa are not and cannot be ready to face the best team on the continent eleven days before the start of the Premier League season. It’s simply too much to ask and our expectations against PSG should be tempered accordingly.

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PSG are the holders and beat English opposition last August, albeit that was Tottenham Hotspur.

The game ended 2-2 in Udine thanks to a pair of late PSG goals, and the European champions went on to win 4-3 on penalties despite Vitinha failing to score with their first attempt.

The Portugal midfielder and many more of PSG’s players were at the World Cup in June and July, so they arrive on the back of a fragmented pre-season just like their opponents.

PSG have added to their ranks since retaining the Champions League. As well as acquiring Digne from Villa, attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche has been signed from Ligue 1 rivals Monaco. Like Villa, I’d expect them to have more additions in the pipeline.

For the record, there is cash on the line. Villa will be paid £3.4 million for participating in the Super Cup, a figure that will rise beyond £4 million if they leave Austria as the winners.

It’s nice work if you can get it.

The referee for Wednesday’s game is Omar Artan, the 34-year-old Somali official who was turned back from the United States after being appointed to work at the World Cup.

He was then left out to dry by FIFA, which entirely abdicated its obligations to him and did so in direct contravention of its stated requirements of World Cup host nations.

Wonder why.

How to watch PSG v Aston Villa

PSG v Aston Villa is an 8.00pm kick-off on Wednesday 12th August.

📺 TNT Sports 1 / HBO Max

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Villa played in their new third kit, which basically looks light blue from a distance. I think it’s decent enough in that context.

Speaking of context, that matters too. Bayern squeezed Villa back towards their own goal in the first half without being clinical and the goal they did get won’t have bothered manager Unai Emery one bit.

Villa’s defensive line from a dead ball was immaculate and the goal would have been disallowed for offside in the Premier League – no problem there.

Goalkeeper Marco Bizot made some very good saves as the German champions pretty much overpowered Villa after the break but could perhaps have done more to keep out Bayern’s second goal.

Here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions.

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1. Emery is starting to look at his real partnerships with PSG next

Pre-season is a time for experimentation and exploration, not to mention fitness for the sake of fitness, and in a World Cup year it’s even more useless as any kind of predictive exercise.

Where it gets interesting is late in the summer, when the last couple of friendlies pit Villa against the standard of opposition they can expect to face in the season ahead and time to shave the edges off the plan starts to run down.

A friendly against Bayern a week into August fits that profile for Villa this year and Emery’s team selection demonstrated some of his thinking.

João Gomes and Boubacar Kamara played together in the midfield double pivot from the start. Kamara’s only just coming back from injury but he already looks spot on; his reading of the game is world-class but we already knew that.

Villa certainly weren’t short of defensive cover from the middle and Gomes ratted around, putting in a bunch of spicy tackles as if to show off the goods before the season proper gets underway. He scored a terrific goal too.

Further back, Pau Torres played on the left of the back two with Ian Maatsen outside him at left-back. We’ll see that in competitive games too, irrespective of the potential signing of Matteo Ruggeri.

There are few concerns about Torres at this point. We know he’s got the defensive chops, mostly, and we know how important he is in possession. Maatsen, quietly, is putting together a decent pre-season. The first half in Hong Kong was no exception.

2. We saw a reshuffled front line and another new role for George Hemmings

Conversely, the three players lining up off the striker were not the finished article. Villa started with George Hemmings, Emi Buendía and Evann Guessand playing behind Brian Madjo – the way they were deployed was much more interesting than the personnel.

None of these players saw much of the ball but I thought it noteworthy that Buendía played in his familiar left-sided role while Hemmings, more commonly a central midfielder until this summer and latterly playing off the left, switched to the right-hand side.

Those moves allowed Guessand to play in the middle while a young midfielder occupied the spot he filled in his brief first-team Villa career so far.

In all likelihood, there’s nothing more to that than the impending departure of the Ivorian. If he does somehow end up in the squad, giving him a run in the middle while compromising someone else hints at his role, if he has one.

The Guessand experiment on the right-wing didn’t do Villa or the player himself any favours. Instead, using him as a central attacking midfielder and in the front two out of possession suggests that his positional mis-use, at least, is over.

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3. Matty Cash can hold his own against high-quality opposition

Let’s start at the end. Luis Díaz scored Bayern’s second goal and the Villa player best placed to prevent it was Matty Cash. He could have been a little smarter; Díaz wrongfooted him and the Colombian beat Bizot high to make it 2-0.

It was a fantastic finish from a supremely capable footballer who bested Cash in a split-second. I’m not going to lose any sleep over it and it was the only failing from Villa’s right-back.

Cash started the match as captain and filled the costume. He has evolved into a very good right-back both defensively and when Villa have the ball, a far cry from the player who was so roundly criticised for years – rightly and wrongly – by Villa supporters.

He’s 29 now. He’ll be part of Emery’s revamped leadership group after the sales of Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Lucas Digne because he’s too old, too embedded at Villa, not to be.

But Cash has earned that role and his brief captaincy in Hong Kong on merit. He’s one of the best all-round full-backs in the Premier League and one of Villa’s best right-backs for generations.

We’re well past him being underappreciated, thankfully, but it’s good to remind ourselves every now and again that he’s matured into a crucial part of Emery’s Villa team.

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Villa and their technical partner have gone back to the Holte End well after adopting the mosaic motifs on the sleeves of last season’s home shirt, picking out a tonal mosaic pattern in white and baby blue.

A simple claret round collar matches the sleeve cuffs and the new embiggened adidas stripes on the shoulder, which are interrupted by the Betano sponsor logo on one arm and the various competition marks on the other.

The colour pairing is familiar enough and it’s the decorative mosaic curls that make the shirt a bit different.

Third shirts are the perfect canvas for messing about and trying stuff out, and I’m a big fan of the general look and the detail of the body, but the shirt overall is a case of nearly but not quite; great ideas almost executed flawlessly.

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Mosaic aside, the most striking aspect of the shirt is the alignment of the three logos on the front.

The adidas mark, Villa badge and Visit Rwanda branding are centred and stacked, a design choice I don’t mind on occasion but which is let down by the same thing that lets down all Villa shirts, shorts, and everything else these days.

The Villa crest is a mess

Whisper it, but the reason this shirt doesn’t quite cut it for me is that the club badge has been afforded pride of place. That’s how it should be, of course, but it only works if the badge works and the Villa badge doesn’t.

There are ways to get around that. It looks better in near-monochrome form on the 2026/27 home shirt, for one, though I accept the view that an adapted badge should be avoided on the home kit more often than not.

But if the badge is to be centred and framed, given hero status, using the full-colour version with yellow lion splodge and drop shadow is a good way to expose it for the calamity it is.

That’s without accounting for the decision to use it on a shirt that means it’ll be one blue on another, which isn’t doing a great deal for me either.

Anyway, I think it’s a good shirt and a nice idea. I hope it will be popular. But the badge needs to be dealt with, I’m afraid.

Photos? Photos.

Villa’s new third shirt is now available at Villa Park, at the Bullring store, and online.

Villa are in a slightly funny place at the moment, with work still to do in the transfer window but the glow of silverware still keeping most of us warm at night. Like it or not, it’s about to get very real again.

So, what’s the target?

In this week’s Aston Villa Review podcast, Chris and Jamie discuss Villa’s season ahead and what we want to see from Unai Emery’s team.

We talk about the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and hair transplants, as well as next week’s European Super Cup.

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Villa will face more significant opposition in Friday’s friendly. Bayern Munich are up next as Unai Emery and his squad ready themselves for next Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain.

Here’s everything else that’s been going on.

Villa transfer news

↔️ Villa are reportedly closing in on the signing of Italian defender Marco Ruggeri from Atlético Madrid (Marca)

Club updates

👨🏻‍⚕️ Villa skipper John McGinn is expected to be fit in time to face Brighton & Hove Albion in the first Premier League match of the season (The Athletic)

🩸 Villa are also assessing Alejandro Garnacho after he had his face caved in against BG Pathum United (Express & Star)

👨🏻‍⚕️ Johan Manzambi will miss the PSG game because of an injury sustained at the World Cup (Express & Star)

Everything else that’s fit to click

🗣️ Boubacar Kamara: It feels good to be back (AVFC)

🟨 UEFA has raised the yellow card suspension threshold to four bookings (Dale Johnson)

🪙 What are the new financial rules Premier League clubs must stick to? (BBC Sport)

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3️⃣ The Holy Trinity: Aston Villa conclusions from win over BG Pathum United in Thailand

🔊 Podcast: Aston Villa and the Mighty Meatball

✈️ Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and rebuilding the Aston Villa plane while flying

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Villa lost two players to injury. Captain John McGinn buckled under a foul and was withdrawn. Alejandro Garnacho looked incredibly rusty before getting his face smashed in.

Despite those setbacks, it was a positive friendly for Unai Emery. The Villa boss saw Victor Lindelöf revert to centre-back, showing his versatility and topping it with a goal, and must have enjoyed the insane work rate of midfielder João Gomes.

Villa’s new Brazilian signing even managed to do a bit in the final third. I’m not expecting to see loads of that against grown-up teams but he demonstrated late in the first half that he’s got quite a shot on him.

Here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions.

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1. Emi Buendía has a new route to goal

Just as they did against Indonesia All Stars, Villa opened Pathum up with an early goal and it was 2025/26 star man Emi Buendía who put the ball in the net.

It’s noteworthy that it was essentially the very same goal, and one that Little Emi wasn’t scoring on the regular last season.

Saturday’s opener followed neat combination play on the right with a sweeping Buendía into the bottom corner. Tuesday’s was similar, this time courtesy of connections between Alysson, Lamare Bogarde and Matty Cash.

All three played their part but the striking component, literally and figuratively, was Buendía. He was lurking, hanging around in front of the penalty spot for a cut-back knowing full well that he was going to get one.

In fact, he was in that sort of position a lot. Other players were doing the same in the second half, loitering for a pass from a wide player hitting the byline rather than a cross.

I’m filing that under ‘Things to keep an eye on.’

2. We have clues about Villa’s midfield depth

The sales of Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers have big implications for Villa’s midfield and general midfield area. There will be a very different look in Emery’s two and three this season and there’s a knock-on effect on the back-up corps too.

One of the most obvious developments in the recent friendlies is George Hemmings playing as the left-sided ten, a more advanced position than his previous outings for the first team.

The 19-year-old is making the most of his new role and showing that he can affect the game in attacking areas. We now have a big hint that his positional shift is the real deal.

Hemmings played there in the second half in Thailand with captain McGinn on the pitch and it was McGinn, who spent last season in the attacking line off striker Ollie Watkins, who played in the double pivot with Bogarde.

There’s no suggestion that McGinn will play anywhere but his right-sided ten spot this season but the way they were deployed against Pathum might indicate the order of things when it comes to Hemmings’ prospects for 2026/27 and where he stacks up against McGinn as central midfield depth.

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3. Boubacar Kamara is back with a bang

After 208 days out, midfielder Boubacar Kamara played his first minutes since he was injured in Villa’s FA Cup win at Tottenham Hotspur.

Kamara came on for the last half an hour, replacing Bogarde and moving directly into the midfield two alongside the captain.

Bogarde was one of few Villa players whose involvement spanned the half time break and lasted well into the second half; Villa are clearly managing Kamara’s playing time very strategically and his return is a huge boost with plenty of pre-season left to go.

He scored with his second touch barely a minute after stepping onto the pitch.

Hemmings teed him up with a very smart touch to nudge a loose ball back to the edge of the box. Kamara coolly rolled it into the bottom corner first-time. Welcome back.

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Aston Villa rolled into Jakarta at the end of last week and spent their Saturday afternoon in sweltering heat running around on a football pitch with a team known as Indonesia All Stars, which is exactly what it sounds like.

The friendly was noteworthy as the first Villa appearance of winger Alejandro Garnacho and the return, as a striker, of Evann Guessand. We also saw Alysson back in the side in the second half and John McGinn made his first appearance of pre-season.

Speaking of McGinn, don’t miss the latest episode of our free podcast.

For the first time this summer and in keeping with the spirit of the occasion, Villa manager Unai Emery opted for wholesale changes at half time. The final score was 3-1 to the tourists, for anyone counting.

Here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions.

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1. We’re seeing some good stuff from Kosta Nedeljković

It’s easy to forget in his absence that Kosta Nedeljković, the right-back who signed for Villa in 2023 and has played five times in the Premier League, is only 20 years old.

I’m not for a second drawing any conclusions about his immediate future based on his summer performances – I think the likeliest outcome is that he spends another season out on loan – but it hasn’t gone unnoticed that the Serbian defender is seeing plenty of action since Andrés García headed off to Getafe.

Nedeljković has been especially useful in the opposition half and it took barely a couple of minutes for him to make his mark in Jakarta with another assist, this time for Emi Buendía and the first of Villa’s three goals.

It was a clever and composed cut-back after some good link play on the right, the highlight of a solid pre-season campaign.

He spent the first half against Indonesia All Stars getting up beyond McGinn regularly, not only with the ball but in search of a long pass from Pau Torres or Barkley.

Tactically, it was a case of Nedeljković acting as a direct deputy for Matty Cash in a system that’s become familiar to us all. He overlapped McGinn and held his position high on the right while Garnacho kept his width as McGinn’s counterpart on the other flank.

Never say never.

2. Alysson! Alysson is back!

19-year-old Alysson signed for Villa on New Year’s Day, made his debut off the bench in mid-February and managed just three appearances before the end of the season. His last game was against Chelsea at Villa Park in March.

Fitness and injuries played their part along with the standard time it can take players to acclimatise to Emery’s system. Ultimately, most of us knew so little about him when he signed that nobody really had the capacity for surprise or disappointment with his first six months in England.

Now 20, Alysson added to his 47 minutes in a Villa shirt with a useful outing in Jakarta on Saturday.

He played on the right in front of Cash and showed a little bit of what he’s about. He did a fair amount of defensive work and looked to get things going in the attacking third too, getting himself into the box relatively easily.

The winger tired quickly in the heat and humidity of Jakarta. After such a disrupted calendar year since moving to the club, I’m not going to judge him on that at all. I’m excited to see what’s next.

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3. Villa’s young players are looking comfortable

Emery emptied the bench at the break and the Villa team in the second half was even more inexperienced than the one that played the first. I think there were some plus points.

I’m not about to assess the quality or even the potential of Villa’s youngsters on a match like this but I think they’re looking comfortable in the first team environment. The exception, thus far, is goalkeeper James Wright. He’s a long way down the pecking order for now.

Lots of the outfield players seem confident enough to show what they can do in a low-pressure context. In the second half, TJ Carroll and Brad Burrowes played well in a very young eleven that also featured three of the shining lights of Villa’s pre-season.

Brian Madjo did what Brian Madjo does. It’s probably safest for the rest of the Premier League if he’s not released to play before January because this kid is going to leave defensive bodies in his wake.

Luka Lynch seems to be loving life. He’s raw as all hell and by no means ready for the Premier League but he’s furthering his case this summer and you can bet Emery will want him on loan in the right place in 2026/27.

George Hemmings is getting better and better. He’s cruising through these games against inferior opposition and growing in confidence.

His all-round game has come on in leaps and bounds since a first impressive pre-season a year ago, and he’s undoubtedly going to get another chance to crack the code in the first team set-up this season.

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Aston Villa made history last season and they did it with one of their finest ever players wearing the captain’s armband and scoring crucial goals along the way.

McGinn was the second Villa player to lift a European trophy. We couldn’t have chosen a better skipper for the moment.

In this week’s Aston Villa Review podcast, Chris and Jamie discuss the one and only John McGinn.

We talk about his contribution and legacy, his status within the club, and where he now sits in the rankings of Villa’s greatest players of all time.

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In fact, it’s been something of a quiet week all round for Villa, Tuesday’s friendly against Real Sociedad aside. With the squad preparing for their departure for Indonesia, manager Unai Emery has presumably been able to take stock of what he as at his disposal.

Indeed, the biggest stories of the week involve an outgoing set piece coach and a loan player who’s no longer at the club. Both feature in this week’s round-up of Aston Villa news.

Villa transfer news

👋🏻 Goalkeeper Joe Gauci has joined Championship newcomers Lincoln City on loan for the season (AVFC)

↔️ Villa have had an offer rejected for Palmeiras striker Allan, according to ‘sources’ (ESPN)

↔️ Villa have also been linked with Switzerland winger Rubén Vargas, currently of Sevilla (Express & Star)

Club updates

✍🏻 Noelle Maritz has signed a contract extension to remain with Aston Villa Women (AVFC)

Everything else that’s fit to click

📐 What Chelsea fans can expect from former Aston Villa set piece coach Austin MacPhee (FourFourTwo)

👌🏻 Harvey Elliott revels in ‘second chance’ at Liverpool and has no regrets over Aston Villa loan (The Guardian)

🪑 Football transfer being paid in seats, 35 years on (BBC News)

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More from Aston Villa Review

3️⃣ The Holy Trinity: Aston Villa conclusions from friendly loss against Real Sociedad

✈️ Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and rebuilding the Aston Villa plane while flying

🎧 The Aston Villa Midfield Merry-Go-Round

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Aston Villa played their third pre-season friendly of the summer at the home of Walsall and added to a collection of conceded goals that might be alarming in competitive matches.

Instead, the goals scored against Villa by Porto and Real Sociedad serve only to highlight the importance of partnerships and preparation at the back.

In any case, La Real’s third goal was offside and the fourth was the direct result of a handling error by a capable young goalkeeper who won’t play first team football for Villa this season.

Here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions.

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1. George Hemmings continues to progress

19-year-old George Hemmings played against Real Sociedad in the position where we’ve become used to seeing Emi Buendía, on the left of a line of three behind a striker and dropping to the left of the midfield out of possession.

It would be disingenuous to deny that Hemmings was shaky in his brief first team opportunity last season but he is impressing again in a second successive pre-season and looks to be maturing nicely into a player capable of standing out in these matches.

He was very sharp in this game. He moved smartly, showed well for the ball and had quicker feet than the players around him.

Villa TV co-commentator and Villa legend Brian Little was won over by the way Hemmings is able to bring the ball in on the turn and he also demonstrated his ability to let the ball run across his body and look after it under pressure, a skill that’s about confidence as much as technique.

It’s great to see him having an effect in possession this summer. He can play clever little passes in the attacking third and his pairing with Ian Maatsen on the left worked well because the left-back’s overlapping runs suited Hemmings’ desire to roam in-field.

The teenager can drop a shoulder to make space and get turned in midfield, and is carrying the ball with authority now too. The signs are positive. With the right loan deal, Hemmings could be in for a key season.

2. Ian Maatsen is gearing up for a big season

Unai Emery and Villa are likely to put their faith in Maatsen in 2026/27 and they need a lot from him – if we’re honest, much more than they’ve seen from him in a Villa shirt so far.

That being the case, everybody is watching him closely in these friendly matches and he, too, is showing some promise with the pressure off.

Even before they combined for Villa’s first goal courtesy of Maatsen’s deft pass into the box and Hemmings’ crisp finish into the bottom corner, the pair were combining well.

With Hemmings floating off the flank, Maatsen consistently sought to get himself free in advanced positions on the left where Ross Barkley in particular could unleash him with a pass from in to out.

Maatsen’s end product is under the microscope at the moment. It’s not perfect or even polished, but we know he can fizz in a low ball that causes problems for the opposition. It should have been the source of a first goal for Villa on the night.

His defensive capabilities are also essential and Villa need to see a step up at the back as well. Real Sociedad gave him plenty of work to do on Tuesday, putting him through his paces by looking for overloads on his side and using them well.

I’m not quite sold on him as a two-way left-back but I’m certain there’s something there. Let’s see more of it while the squad’s in the Far East.

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3. Social media is some crazy shit

There are reasons why Aston Villa Review is set up as a newsletter and podcast rather than a suite of social media accounts.

One is that I will do almost anything to contribute to my living but whoring for attention is not on the agenda.

Another, and most pertinent here, is that feeding algorithmic social media timelines with so-called football news is of so little interest to me I can’t even begin to tell you.

I respect some of the people who dedicate themselves to posting from the same finite pool of news as a hundred other ‘creators’ or hawking rumours on forums but after 20 years in the total fucking sham that is the social media marketing industry, I’d really rather stay clear of it.

Something that’s accepted too readily by football fans is poorly sourced information published without fact-checking, only to be proved false. It’s lazy at best, and usually closer to maliciously misleading or just flat-out not caring as long as it delivers clicks.

Not exactly a noble pursuit, if you ask me.

Anyway, Pau Torres played the second half of this match.

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Villa were beaten by Portuguese champions Porto but there was plenty for manager Unai Emery to take on board, both positive and negative, from the warm-up match on Saturday evening.

After the traditional opener at Walsall, Villa met Porto in a prestige friendly and will return to action against Real Sociedad, again at Walsall, on Tuesday.

For now, here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions.

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1. Unai Emery isn’t messing about in pre-season

It’s very obvious that Villa have been using makeshift teams so far in their two pre-season friendlies. We haven’t yet seen the likes of John McGinn, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins, who played at the World Cup along with new signing Johan Manzambi and Sweden captain Victor Lindelöf.

Emiliano Martínez isn’t available yet and fellow Argentinian Alejandro Garnacho is also yet to feature.

There are players who played well against Walsall, Porto or both who won’t kick a ball for the first team this season, though George Hemmings and Modou Kéba Cissé could be thereabouts if they’re not careful.

Nevertheless, Emery looks to have started the pre-season fixture list as he means to go on.

I went to the Walsall match last summer and it felt like the first day back – a completely relaxed atmosphere before the game, tons of players not yet reported for pre-season, wholesale changes during the game and young players heavily involved who were light years away from first team football.

There’s no complaint there. It didn’t stop Villa hitting their objectives for the season. But it is noteworthy that the first couple or three friendlies last year were low-impact kickabouts where this year’s second friendly saw only three changes at half time (and one before it).

Emery switched Marco Bizot, Matty Cash and Ross Barkley out for James Wright, Kosta Nedeljković and João Gomes in Portugal. There were substitutions later in the game but plenty of players registered more than half a match in only the second friendly.

It’s already different than last summer and I’ll be watching closely to see how the approach evolves this week.

2. Villa matched high-intensity opposition

Porto changed their kit at half time. That was fun, wasn’t it?

Anyway, Villa encountered a team playing at home in front of a big crowd, and who started the game like they meant it. Porto were at it from kick-off and it paid off, insofar as anything can pay off in a friendly match.

Villa conceded very early in the match and found themselves with no time on the ball. Coupled with the patchwork nature of the team, that made for a tough first quarter of an hour.

The good news from a Villa point of view was that a side constructed out of disparate parts showed an immediate willingness to match the intensity of the hosts and scored an equaliser very quickly.

Being a secret optimist, I took that as a positive sign.

I make no effort to hide how little I care about the results of friendly matches but I do know that managers of Emery’s calibre don’t like to lose and certainly don’t accept their teams getting a kicking.

If Villa hadn’t taken the temperature of the occasion and responded accordingly, that’s what could have happened. It bodes well that the attitude was right even in that largely insignificant situation.

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3. Luka Lynch continues to catch the eye

Hemmings looks more and more confident when carrying the ball up the pitch and young Brian Madjo came on briefly and showed well, but it was Brad Burrowes who started as Villa’s centre-forward with Lynch playing behind him.

There was lots to like about that arrangement against fellow Champions League opposition, none of it more thrilling than Villa’s goal.

Lamare Bogarde was playing in midfield but had stepped up to win the ball on the press, followed by some terrific and tenacious wing play from Leon Bailey on the right. Lynch was lurking.

His goal at Walsall came with a big dollop of luck but the young forward’s strike at the Estádio do Dragão was all his own work. Lynch whipped a left-footed shot across the goalkeeper and into the far corner, a technically superb piece of finishing that demonstrated the quality he has at his disposal.

I’ve seen Lynch play in person and at close quarters, and now in these two friendlies, and I’ve enjoyed watching him even if the extent of his involvement says something about Villa’s current attacking depth. He’s a livewire. He’s got a lovely sharp shift of feet and he can win a foul.

There’s no doubt Lynch’s decisions on the ball at the highest levels will benefit from some experience, and knowing when to pass on the responsibility in attacking areas will get better with that too, but I think it’s safe to say he’s made a fine start in senior football.

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Aston Villa have sold Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers in a short space of time, and Lucas Digne is on the way out too. That’s frustrating enough without trying to comprehend the whys and wherefores of the deals.

For the most part, the only response available to supporters is to trust that the people running the numbers at their clubs know what they’re doing. The evidence on the pitch suggests that Villa are fortunate to have people worthy of that trust. There’s no guarantee that’s true but it’s all we have. Football isn’t supposed to be like this.

For the record, Villa have also brought in a fee for Lewis Dobbin. The sales of Donyell Malen and Enzo Barrenechea have been confirmed too. There could be more, both good and bad, before transfer deadline day.

Andrés García has been sent out on loan and needs replacing with a better back-up for Matty Cash at right-back. Johan Manzambi, João Gomes and Alejandro Garnacho are already in the building.

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To cut a long story short, Unai Emery and Villa have a ton of work to do in what’s left of the transfer window just to stand still, and even standing still this season would force them backwards.

Villa are in a very tricky spot. There’s no pretending otherwise when regular starters have left the club immediately after qualifying for the Champions League.

The challenge they’re tackling is enormous and they’re tackling it at the point in their history when they have the most to lose.

Morgan Rogers was Villa’s blockbuster sale

The sale of Rogers happened with a sense of inevitability, the kind of transfer that feels as if it’s been in the works for months.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the move, players like Rogers still equate a small group of elite clubs with their notion of professional ambition and will take the chance when it comes along.

Money helps, certainly, and it helps Villa too. It never seemed likely that Villa would allow Rogers’ situation to drag on through the summer; when Chelsea met his valuation, he was off as expected.

From a Villa perspective, £117 million is game-changing money. The financial restrictions they’re operating under have made sure of that and the truth is a sale of this type is the best and quickest way to take a big bite out of the problem.

Rogers landing at Chelsea over Arsenal is as funny as it is questionable, and it sends a message for the time one of the supposedly elite clubs comes sniffing around a Villa player: You can have him, but it’s going to cost you and that’s the only way you’re getting it done. (And we might help you out too…)

The player left with dignity. There are Villa supporters who won’t forgive the simple act of leaving willingly but it’s very obvious from the words of both Rogers and Villa this week that he has behaved perfectly throughout. That goes a long way.

And hey, he won the Europa League. You can’t fuck with that. There’s no unfinished business here and that’s fair enough. It’s sad, but Villa needed this as much as Rogers wanted it.

Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne will be missed

Losing Tielemans and Digne to release clauses wasn’t part of Villa’s plan for this summer but neither should be a surprise within the club. Both of them achieved a true market value much higher than their clauses, so it’s no shock that they were met.

Tielemans was a crucial player for Villa. His ability to progress the ball through the lines was central to their play and his ability to show up in the big moments was a superb attribute to add to the mix on a free transfer.

The Belgium skipper was also a hugely respected leader in the dressing room and one of Emery’s most trusted players. There’s a reason his departure was not planned and a new contract offer was Villa’s preferred route with two years left on his deal.

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Digne arrived at Villa already knocking on 30 and commanded a serious wage. It felt like an expensive signing that came with some risk attached but he justified it completely with his performances at the club.

The left-back, who played in the World Cup semi-final for France, experienced a few little dips in form here and there but was largely excellent for Villa and played a huge part in their success in his final season.

Losing Tielemans and Digne together, and Rogers to boot, represents a bitter but probably necessary blow both on the pitch and off. Villa’s response this summer could define their trajectory for years to come.

Villa are attempting to retool without stopping

Deep down, most Villa supporters must have known the rebuild was coming.

A simple glance at the playing squad, their ages and the time remaining on their contracts told us that change would eventually be required. The need to meet UEFA’s restrictions only accelerated that and those two release clauses have ignited action.

As players in their late twenties and thirties leave, younger replacements will arrive. Villa’s aim must be to wrap their strategy around a new model that allows them to get the best out of signings for a number of years but still be in a position to sell for big fees when the time comes.

Villa should probably have done more to move in that direction last year. With Champions League football returning to Villa Park, they might prefer to do it next year. But the rebuild is happening now.

Add in the loss of a handful of Emery’s backroom staff including set-piece specialist Austin MacPhee and instead of a stepped transition from one team to the next, Villa are facing a major challenge this summer.

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3️⃣ The Holy Trinity: Aston Villa conclusions from friendly win at Walsall
🕵🏻‍♂️ Everything you need to know about new Aston Villa signing João Gomes
💬 Aston Villa supporters’ Visit Rwanda concerns are about optics, not details

Thing is, Villa aren’t going to settle for transition. They’ve got silverware, a top-four spot and a place in the Champions League, and they don’t want to let that progress wither away without a fight.

This was not in the maintenance schedule and it isn’t just a case of identifying like-for-like footballing replacements or even the pieces required for a shift in tactical approach.

Personalities matter too. Culture matters. Villa are the best example of that in the Premier League and the players who’ve left were central to that.

Tielemans and Digne were senior squad members and Emery charged them with being part of the group that set the tone. Rogers is a big character too, evidently popular with his teammates and influential beyond his years.

For their next trick, Emery and the football department will attempt to dismantle and reassemble the aeroplane in flight; to jettison the vital components that need replacing and install new ones quickly enough and well enough to avoid stalling the aircraft.

Villa have signed Alejandro Garnacho after selling Morgan Rogers, which has raised a few eyebrows to say the least. But there’s been a bunch of other stuff going on too. Let’s recap.

Here’s your weekly round-up of Villa news.

Villa players at the World Cup

The World Cup ended last weekend with Villa players involved in both the final on Sunday and Saturday’s third-place play-off.

Emiliano Martínez and Argentina fell short in the final, though his individual performance would have been the key factor if they’d managed to retain their world champion status.

England beat France 6-4 in a crazy play-off for the bronze medal. Ezri Konsa scored for England, while Ollie Watkins and Lucas Digne both played the second half on either side.

Rogers played his last 90 minutes as a Villa player.

Villa transfer news

↔️ Norwegian international defender Mathilde Harviken has joined Aston Villa Women from Juventus (AVFC)

↔️ Aston Villa Women have also signed Japan goalkeeper Akane Okuma (AVFC)

⛔ Coventry City’s interest in Ross Barkley looks set to come to nothing (Coventry Telegraph)

↔️ Sam Proctor has joined Shrewsbury Town on loan for the season (AVFC)

↔️ Oliwier Zych will spend the season on loan at Vitória Guimarães (AVFC)

Club updates

🗣️ Francesco Calvo, Villa’s president of business operations, has defended the club’s partnership with Visit Rwanda (Express & Star)

🪙 Betano, now banned from the front of the shirt, will be Villa’s new sleeve sponsor (AVFC)

🏆 Villa defender Ezri Konsa has spoken of his pride at winning a World Cup bronze medal with England (AVFC)

🆕 The Fantasy Premier League prices for Villa’s players, and everyone else’s, have been revealed (FPL)

Everything else that’s fit to click

➡️ Aston Villa move for Alejandro Garnacho is a game of risk and reward – it’s a sign of Unai Emery’s faith in his methods (FourFourTwo)

💰 Why Rogers’ £117m Chelsea transfer is high risk, but Anderson’s £116m move to City isn’t (ESPN)

🏟️ Villa Park naming rights update as Aston Villa chief confirms ‘new stadium’ stance (BirminghamLive)

⚖️ Garnacho, Rogers and two clubs trying to balance the books (BBC Sport)

🎥 João Gomes has a stammer. But what does that mean? (Claret & Blue)

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More from Aston Villa Review

3️⃣ The Holy Trinity: Aston Villa conclusions from friendly win at Walsall

🕵🏻‍♂️ Everything you need to know about new Aston Villa signing João Gomes

🕵🏻‍♂️ Everything you need to know about new Aston Villa signing Johan Manzambi

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Anyway, Aston Villa have signed Alejandro Garnacho from Chelsea. It’s an initial season-long loan deal and widely reported to include a ‘conditional obligation’ to buy. If those unknown conditions are met, Villa will pay a transfer fee and Garnacho will become a Villa player.

Modern Premier League football being what it is, there are some considerations that need addressing off the bat.

First, Harvey Elliott. Villa took the Liverpool youngster on loan last season, also with a conditional obligation to buy, and spent the season dodging that obligation at all costs after deciding they didn’t want to complete the deal.

This looks different. Every report emphasises that Unai Emery is the man behind the move and that’s fundamentally not the same situation as Elliott. Garnacho has joined Villa because Emery wants him.

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Second, this transfer is the result of Villa and Chelsea working together to strike mutually beneficial deals once more. Let’s not pretend otherwise.

The terms might be designed to give them deniability when UEFA comes calling but this is absolutely one of the reasons Chelsea were willing to spend a British record transfer fee to buy Morgan Rogers.

I have no issue with Villa and Chelsea operating within the rules, even if those rules seem to be chasing after them – I’d wager the detailed regulations are changed again before the next summer transfer window precisely to outlaw this specific flavour of collusion.

But it is what it is. The financial regulations under which Villa are operating appear to be achieving exactly the opposite of their stated objectives of sustainability and fairness.

Equally, I don’t think clubs should be able to spend whatever and whenever they want.

It’s almost as if restrictions should first be applied to clubs who aren’t in the Champions League but can tempt away the players of those who are, but what do I know?

Garnacho arrives at Villa

At 22, Garnacho is another example of Roberto Olabe, Villa’s president of football operations, seeking to put his stamp on the club’s transfer strategy.

Villa are buying young but bold. For every player they’ve lost in this difficult week or two, Olabe and Emery have brought in a younger player of a slightly different profile.

It’s going to be exciting to see how things change on the pitch but Villa’s ability to improve players over a number of years and still have time to sell them for good fees is essential to the club’s future plans.

This is who Villa must be and Garnacho, while there is risk attached for sure, is part of that evolution.

“I can’t wait to start on the pitch,” Garnacho told VillaTV. “It’s an important club that is growing really quickly, so I can’t wait to get started.

“I was looking for a club to get confidence at and to try to be the player I was in my first years at Manchester United.

“I spoke with the manager and I think he will give me the confidence to be here and to help the team.”

Aston Villa Review reaction

Hitting those heights is the only way to make this arrangement work.

Garnacho arrives with a dreadful reputation, doubted on the pitch and downright iffy off it. That’s kid stuff and it’s time for him to grow up. This is a big boy football club with low levels of tolerance for bullshit.

I’ve had messages from supporters of multiple clubs expressing their forthright views on Garnacho and wondering aloud why Villa would sign him.

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I don’t think the answer to that is a complicated one. Emery and Villa believe that Garnacho’s playing potential is worth the gamble that he’s ready to demonstrate some professionalism, and that they can provide the environment for that to happen.

That’s it. There’s nothing more to it – even the financial stuff wouldn’t force Emery to take on a player he didn’t rate. Indeed, the truth appears to be quite the opposite.

Just as I was and am more convinced than Emery about Elliott, so I am less convinced than Emery about Garnacho. Only one of us is a five-time Europa League winner.

I’ve questioned some of the Villa manager’s one-off decisions in the past but I know better than to suspect the overall direction could be better. I’m not one to trust a manager without supporting evidence but Emery is so far beyond that point that it’s basically academic to even wonder.

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3️⃣ The Holy Trinity: Aston Villa conclusions from friendly win at Walsall
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🕵🏻‍♂️ Everything you need to know about new Aston Villa signing Johan Manzambi

The Garnacho deal moved quickly once it became public knowledge but it has been out in the open for a few days so I’ve already had my say elsewhere.

I wrote a column about it for FourFourTwo, essentially arguing that bringing Garnacho to Villa is a show of Emery’s extreme confidence in his methods.

We also discussed Garnacho briefly in the first episode of our newly reconfigured Aston Villa Review podcast, for which I was joined by Steve and Jamie to talk about Villa’s midfield merry-go-round.

Suffice to say I’m not exactly bursting with faith that signing Garnacho is a smart move. I’d be surprised if it worked out to the fullest.

But I am not Unai Emery. When it comes down to it, I don’t know shit.

Aston Villa have sold two of the three players who scored in the Europa League final but bringing in nearly £150 million for Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans does at least feel like some good could possibly come out of it.

With Johan Manzambi and João Gomes both confirmed as incoming transfers, the only logical place to aim our sights for this episode of the podcast is Villa’s midfield.

In the first of the newly reimagined Aston Villa Review podcast, Chris, Steve and Jamie discuss the midfield merry-go-round.

We talk about the players who’ve left, the players who’ve signed, what it means, and what to expect.

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Aston Villa started their pre-season fixtures with the traditional scoot up the M6 to take on Walsall at the Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium, where they were beaten 1-0 a year ago but put five past the Saddlers, now managed by Lee Grant, on Tuesday night.

It’s important not to take the results and performances in friendlies too seriously but it can still be a useful exercise to try and pick the bones out of them.

That being the case, here’s your Holy Trinity of match conclusions. This is the sort of analysis we post after every first team fixture but sits behind the paywall for competitive games.

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1. Brian Madjo is a specimen

Villa signed striker Brian Madjo from Metz on his 17th birthday in January but the club is embroiled in proceedings against FIFA over his registration. International signings cannot be registered until they turn 18, meaning Villa can’t include him in the team until next January.

Madjo is from London and is an England Under-17 international. Just saying.

Anyway, as Villa await a verdict from the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the Walsall game was a chance to give him a belated Villa debut of sorts. Madjo started as Villa’s central striker and scored twice.

Young players shouldn’t be judged on friendlies and hey, they’re young. It’s not easy to draw conclusions about any player at 17, so I won’t. But I will say Madjo was fun to watch against Walsall.

He scored a couple of nice goals, the second a bit of a fortuitous scuffer but the first a superb first-time finish with his left foot after outmuscling a defender. Naturally, this is the first thing supporters want from a striker so the teenager has made a fine start.

There’s no delicate way to describe how he plays, so have this instead: Madjo is a unit. In the first 45 minutes at the Bescot alone, we saw that he’s quick and strong and he’s not shy about using it.

I’m not making any bold predictions here but I like what I saw and that’s better than not liking it, at least.

2. Villa’s young defenders show positive signs

In all likelihood, Villa will play the entirety of the 2026/27 season in the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup with neither Modou Kéba Cissé nor TJ Carroll appearing in the centre of defence.

Carroll is no stranger to the position but is a way down the pecking order at 19 years of age. Cissé is perhaps likelier to make the breakthrough at right-back despite most of his football on loan back at LASK last season being played in the middle.

Nevertheless, they formed the first centre-back pairing of pre-season for Unai Emery and I thought they did a terrific job.

Carroll was tidy enough for the most part but Cissé, as a de facto new signing, was the player who grabbed my attention with his performance in the first half against Walsall.

He passes with the slickness and confidence of a ball-playing central defender, handling the side-to-side stuff with ease but also showing a willingness to thread a ball into feet in midfield.

Cissé is patient on the ball – manna from heaven for Emery – and doesn’t always play the simplest pass. He looks like a player who understands the spatial implications of what he’s doing in possession. At 20, I think that’s a pretty good sign.

He was Villa’s best defender in the first half too.

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3. João Gomes will hit the ground running

I’m thrilled with the signing of João Gomes. I like him as a player and I like what his acquisition suggests about Emery retooling Villa’s midfield and tweaking his approach in the middle of the pitch.

Villa could really benefit from a player of his type playing regularly and consistently but it does require a new tactical outlook, even if it’s a small one, and Gomes himself should be the key architect and beneficiary.

There’s no point in picking through his contribution after coming on at half time against League Two opposition two days after signing, but it was reassuring to see Gomes plonked straight into the midfield at a new club and just immediately be Gomes.

Not that I’d ever have doubted it. Villa’s £38 million man looks like the sort of player who can drop right in and play his game for anyone and against anyone.

Gomes received the ball and moved it on without fuss, and worked hard to win it back when Villa were out of possession. It was a fleeting appearance but it just confirmed that he can be instantly comfortable in his new surroundings and we’re going to see the same player in a different shirt.

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Villa have to get their summer transfer business right in light of various outgoings and their recent record in the market is less than encouraging. Fortunately, there are positive signs in the form of their first couple of signings.

Unai Emery doesn’t have the luxury of easing new players in so proven quality and suitability are a must. Johan Manzambi has them and we’ve seen that in the Europa League and World Cup. Gomes has it too. Crucially, we saw that in the Premier League.

Villa have capitalised on Wolves’ relegation back to the Championship to bring in the midfielder for a comparatively reasonable fee. Like Manzambi, he offers a profile that points to new and different midfield options.

Emery, I think, is looking at a different configuration in the middle of the pitch.

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Villa played against Manzambi in the Europa League final and the 20-year-old was the star of Switzerland’s run to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, where they were knocked out by Argentina in his absence.

Unai Emery clearly likes what he’s learned about Manzambi and Villa have been able to gazump Newcastle United to bring the former Servette junior in as their first new signing of the summer transfer window.

The addition of Manzambi is partly the start of Villa trying to dismantle and reassemble a plane while flying and partly a result of the injury suffered by Villa midfielder Amadou Onana at the World Cup, though he is by no means a direct tactical replacement.

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