Aston Villa complete the rebuild nobody saw coming

There had been reports of potential big-name exits throughout last season, with Morgan Rogers and Emi Martinez linked with moves away from Villa Park, and while their exits were unsurprising, they have been joined by some unexpected names out the door.

Excluding loans, there have been nine first-team departures from the West Midlands club, including Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins, with the Villans raking in more than £300million.

However, there have also been 11 new arrivals, including loans, in what has been the unexpected rebuild of the summer.

What to make of Aston Villa's business

Aston Villa built a squad packed with talent, and their Europa League triumph combined with Champions League qualification signposted a significant change at Villa Park.

By qualifying for Europe's premier competition, the club yet again had to abide by UEFA's squad cost rule, meaning that they had to sell their key assets to comply.

Some transfers were difficult to prevent, with Tielemans heading to Manchester United for £35m after the Red Devils triggered the release clause in his contract.

Then there were players who generated hefty fees, with Rogers the landmark departure to Chelsea for £117m despite interest from Premier League champions Arsenal.

For many, it felt like the right time to move on, with Martinez, Watkins and Lucas Digne leaving in their 30s having achieved so much under Unai Emery.

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Who are the pick of Villa's signings?

Not many of Villa's signings arrive with the reputation of those that have departed, but there are certainly some mouthwatering prospects within Emery's ranks.

In terms of ceiling, deadline-day acquisition Ibrahim Mbaye looks to have the highest after completing his £47m switch from European champions PSG.

Mbaye was an academy standout in the French capital and made 42 first-team appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit, with many tipping him to go to the very top.

Then there is Johan Manzambi, who Aston Villa pipped Newcastle United to after a successful World Cup with Switzerland.

While he has been absent due to injury, he is primed to fill the large void that Rogers has left in attacking midfield.

There is also a collective of arrivals who must prove themselves at Villa Park, including Alejandro Garnacho, Nicolas Jackson and Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

Although many supporters are less than impressed by some of those signings, if anyone can get a tune out of them, it is Emery.

How will the Villans cope without departed stars?

Aston Villa's opening-day 4-0 hammering to Brighton sparked all sorts of concern among fans, but they recovered well to give Arsenal a respectable battle on Monday night.

Make no mistake, this is an enormous job for Emery, but he has regularly shown that he can develop upcoming prospects into leading Premier League talent.

Champions League football will be an intriguing ingredient, and with so little time to gel the squad, it feels that Villa will struggle to juggle European and domestic matters.

However, as long as Emery is invested in the club, then they will be in safe hands, but all eyes will be on Villa to see how they cope with such a remarkable overhaul.

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