Bailey signs for Olympiacospublished at 08:28 BST 3 September
08:28 BST 3 September
Image source, Getty Images
Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey has completed a move to Greek side Olympiacos.
Bailey joined Villa from Bayer Leverkusen for £25m in 2021 and has scored 23 goals in 163 appearances.
He spent the first half of last season on loan at Roma before being recalled by Villa in January.
He went on to make 19 appearances for Villa, scoring once, as they finished fourth in the Premier League and won the Europa League.
On confirming his departure, Aston Villa said: "An exciting winger, capable of both scoring and assisting, Leon was a popular figure among his teammates and around the training ground with his exuberant personality, and he leaves Aston Villa with the very best wishes of everyone at the football club."
Gossip: Villa to continue Kofane pursuitpublished at 07:09 BST 3 September
07:09 BST 3 September
Aston Villa and Newcastle will continue their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen's Cameroon forward Christian Kofane, 20, when the transfer window reopens. (Football Insider, external)
A record-breaking transfer windowpublished at 07:01 BST 3 September
07:01 BST 3 September
Steve Sutcliffe, Emlyn Begley and Gary Rose BBC Sport journalists
Media caption,
Premier League clubs have broke their all-time summer transfer record with spending reaching £3.49bn.
A total of £506.5m was spent on deadline day itself, up from £391m last year.
The total amount spent during the window considerably dwarfs the £1.13bn spent by clubs just five years ago and underlines the power top English clubs have to attract talent, according to figures provided to BBC Sport by Paul Macdonald, founder of FootballTransfers.com.
Three of the 10 most expensive signings in the history of football have happened this summer – with all of them being Premier League signings. In fact, this summer window featured four of the top flight's five most expensive ever deals.
So maybe it is not surprising then that of the 20 most expensive transfers completed, only six were not to clubs in the English top flight.
Indeed, newly-promoted Ipswich have spent more on new signings than the likes of Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus and reigning European champions PSG.
Premier League clubs as a whole were willing to dip deep into their pockets this summer, as 11 of the 20 clubs broke their transfer records, six of them on more than one occasion.
Coventry, promoted to the Premier League alongside Ipswich and Hull, have done so four times over.
'Real talent and huge potential' - fans on Villa's summer transferspublished at 18:33 BST 2 September
18:33 BST 2 September
We asked for your views on Aston Villa's squad with the transfer window shut until January.
Here are some of your comments:
Mike: There's real talent and huge potential in this new group of players and I'm genuinely excited to see how Unai Emery moulds them into a team of his own design. Last season we learned how a slow start doesn't necessarily mean a poor season and it's clear that our manager will get more out of these players than they themselves knew they were capable of. Let the fun begin!
Rob: Despite others being negative about Villa's transfers I'm actually quite excited by it. There is young pace and power that can be moulded by the great Emery and still some good older experience in there. It may take a while to settle them all in but Villa will still be in decent shape.
Scott: It's always tough to say goodbye to players that have served the club so well. However new seeds have to be planted for the next crop to flourish and what a packet of seeds Emery has brought! This selection of players could be a class side for years to come.
Richard: Very happy with Villa's transfer dealings. Good money for departing players and sensible money for the incoming ones. Lots of exciting young talent to watch. Emery took a relegation threatened team and quickly turned them into top seven players. He can surely do the same again with players he has had a say in. Probably wasn't expecting Ollie Watkins to go, but we have two capable replacements.
Have Arsenal's challengers done enough?published at 16:50 BST 2 September
16:50 BST 2 September
Arsenal have started the new Premier League season with two wins as the transfer window closes, looking in ominous shape to retain the crown they won for the first time in 22 years last season.
Have their main rivals done enough to prevent Mikel Arteta's side winning a second successive title?
And what are the other big issues as the Premier League's transfer business was concluded until January?
Aston Villa finished fourth and won the Europa League in a season of stunning success under Unai Emery, but this is effectively the start of a new era at Villa Park.
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, defenders Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa, midfielders Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans, as well as striker Ollie Watkins, all left.
Parma's Japan keeper Zion Suzuki replaced Martinez, while other arrivals included defenders Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton, Aaron Wan-Bissaka from West Ham United on loan and Matteo Ruggeri from Atletico Madrid.
Freiburg's Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi was another arrival, along with winger Ibrahim Mbaye from Paris Saint-Germain, striker Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea and Germany veteran Leon Goretzka.
The rebuild was fleshed out with midfielder Joao Gomes arriving from Wolverhampton Wanderers and winger Alejandro Garnacho on loan from Chelsea.
It will take even the great alchemist Emery time to fashion his new team, but he has been given the materials to work his magic for another season aiming for the top four.
Patience required as Villa enter new era - what do you make of the window?published at 10:35 BST 2 September
10:35 BST 2 September
Nick Mashiter Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
The third Unai Emery era begins at Aston Villa.
The first was the march to the Champions League in 2024 and the second the run to winning the Europa League in May.
The third could prove to be the defining moment for Villa as they look for long-term success and to build on what Emery has already achieved.
Yet patience will be required after a summer of upheaval during which key players departed and the transfer record was broken twice - first with Johan Manzami and then the £65m arrival of Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea.
Villa needed to balance the books and Morgan Rogers' £117m move to Chelsea helped that, but the exits are not purely down to financial constraints.
Release clauses triggered the moves of Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne, while Villa will be happy to move on from the agitation of Emi Martinez's desire to leave, now the goalkeeper finally has his wish.
The money brought in for Ollie Watkins from Al-Hilal was something Villa could not turn down, with Emery conceding it was crazy to get £50m for someone 31 in December. Ezri Konsa wanted his move to Arsenal.
It all means Villa have lowered the average age of the squad - which was the second highest in the Premier League last season - and reduced the wage bill.
That was one of the priorities going into the summer and they can be satisfied, even if Emery was not prepared for the wholesale nature of the departures and it was not the plan.
Jackson, Manzambi, Joao Gomes, Ibrahim Mbaye and Taylor Harwood-Bellis are likely to form the core of the new era, with the potential of Brian Madjo seemingly unlimited.
Close to £280m has been committed, but it will need time. Emery likes to ease his players in so he can trust them implicitly to deliver his methods and demands.
He must accelerate that process with a number of new players and that could mean some missteps.
Villa were ready for change. Now they must adapt to it.
How are you feeling about Villa's squad now the transfer window has closed until January?
Harwood-Bellis wants his 'feet to do the talking' after joining Villapublished at 10:28 BST 2 September
10:28 BST 2 September
Image source, Getty Images
Taylor Harwood-Bellis says he is "full of pride" after joining Aston Villa on deadline day.
The 24-year-old defender, who is a product of Manchester City's youth academy, moved from Championship side Southampton, where he made 134 appearances, scoring 12 times.
"I'm full of pride to have signed for a club like Aston Villa, it's massive for me and my family. I'm so proud," said Harwood-Bellis, who replaces Ezri Konsa in the Villa squad.
"To come to a club of the stature of Villa is something I wanted to strive for in my career. Now is the time to kick on."
On the qualities he will bring to Villa, Harwood-Bellis said: "Off the pitch, a leadership and determination. I'm willing to give everything to win. I think that's been shown at the past clubs I've been at. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I'd do anything to win.
"On the pitch, I like to think that I've got qualities on the ball. Defensively, I've improved so much.
"I'm willing to go again, I want to go again and I want to improve again, but hopefully my feet do the talking in terms of what qualities I have on the pitch. I'm raring to go."
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Abraham must now take Villa chancepublished at 23:20 BST 1 September
23:20 BST 1 September
Nick Mashiter Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery threw down the challenge and Tammy Abraham has chosen to accept it.
The striker's decision to turn down Everton's approach on deadline day shows his desire to make an impact at Villa Park.
Abraham was never looking to leave this summer, there was no plan to find an exit even after a frustrating return to Villa in January.
He was happy, although Villa were open to letting him leave which is why they entertained Ipswich's loan offer last week.
Yet on Monday, Abraham came on as a second-half substitute in the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal and, afterwards, Emery said it was the 28-year-old's decision to stay and reject the Tractor Boys' interest.
That came with a caveat, though, with Emery demanding Abraham improve and find the levels he wants. Abraham managed three goals in 19 appearances last season, following an £18.25m move from Besitkas.
The fact Abraham had another route out on deadline day - to Everton who were left scrambling when their £40m deal for Monaco's Folarin Balogun hung in the balance - and decided to stay speaks volumes for his character and determination.
Record £65m signing Nicolas Jackson will be first choice and Brian Madjo is just 17. But with four competitions and Villa routinely facing three games a week, Abraham will get his chance and it is one he must take.
An entirely new XI - Villa's summer overhaulpublished at 18:21 BST 1 September
18:21 BST 1 September
Image source, Getty Images
It's been a very busy summer at Villa Park.
After letting a whole host of key players depart the club, Unai Emery has overseen an evolution over his squad in the months since their famous Europa League victory in Turkey.
Some of the stars who have left the club include; Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Martinez and Lucas Digne.
Villa have not stood still, bringing in a whole new starting eleven's worth of recruits.
These include new number one Zion Suzuki and additions at the back offering Premier League experience in Aaron Wan-Bissaka from West Ham and Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton.
Add in Modou Keba Cisse and Matteo Ruggeri defensively, Joao Gomes and Leon Goretzka in midfield and a number of attacking talents and Villa can boast an entirely new starting line-up.
It will take some time for these new faces to gel with the current squad but it seems an exciting new era has just begun at Villa Park.
Al-Diriyah show interest in Baileypublished at 17:24 BST 1 September
17:24 BST 1 September
Sami Mokbel Senior football correspondent
Image source, Getty Images
Al-Diriyah are showing an interest in Aston Villa attacker Leon Bailey.
The Jamaica international has been linked with a move away from Villa Park and the Saudi club will make a move for Bailey if he doesn't leave before Tuesday's deadline.
The transfer deadline in Saudi Arabia is on 6 September. Al-Diriyah's sporting director is former Crystal Palace player Dougie Freedman.
'I feel good about this move' - Mbayepublished at 16:09 BST 1 September
16:09 BST 1 September
Image source, Getty Images
Aston Villa's deadline day signing Ibrahim Mbaye says he is looking forward to linking up with his "brother" and Senegal team-mate Nicolas Jackson at Villa Park.
The 18-year-old forward has completed a move from Paris St-Germain, bringing an end to his eight-year association with the club.
Making his Ligue 1 debut in August 2024, Mbaye has made 42 first-team appearances for the back-to-back Champions League winners - scoring four goals and contributing four assists.
"I'm happy to join this team," Mbaye told VillaTV, external. "Aston Villa are a big club. We won the Europa League last year, so I feel good about this move.
"I already know some of the players, like Nicolas Jackson and Boubacar Kamara, so I hope that will help me settle in. I have a good connection with Jackson through the Senegal national team. He is my brother, we always talk to each other.
"It is going to be an incredible feeling to wear the Aston Villa shirt and play my first minutes at Villa Park."
Unai Emery's side are set to face Paris St-Germain, for the fourth time in less than two years, at Villa Park in December.
"The Premier League and the Champions League are the biggest competitions in the world," Mbaye added. "I'm very excited to play in both of them with this team, and I hope I can bring my experience.
"Playing against Paris St-Germain will be a special moment for me as it is my old club. It is a game I'm looking forward to and I hope we take the win."
With Ibrahim Mbaye and Taylor Harwood-Bellis coming through the doors on deadline day, how do you feel about Villa's summer transfer window overall?
Aston Villa still spending despite restrictionspublished at 14:21 BST 1 September
14:21 BST 1 September
Nick Mashiter Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Aston Villa have committed to spend about £280m in Unai Emery's summer rebuild.
The arrivals of Ibrahim Mbaye and Taylor Harwood-Bellis on deadline day shows they are continuing to spend big.
They have broken their transfer record twice with the arrivals of forwards Johan Manzambi (£52m) and Nicolas Jackson (£65m), so cannot plead poverty.
If all clauses and add-ons are triggered, Villa would be pushing £300m this summer, despite needing to sell to comply with Uefa and Premier League financial rules.
Uefa limits the amount of revenue spent on wages, transfers and agent fees to 70% and Villa have already breached the regulations twice.
They were fined £19.4m in June - with £12.9m suspended - having been hit with a £9.5m sanction for a similar breach the year before, and they need to ensure they break-even because of their settlement agreement with Uefa.
Despite that, Matteo Ruggeri (£17m), Harwood-Bellis (£30m), Joao Gomes (£38m) Jackson, Zion Suzuki (£30m), Manzambi and Mbaye (£47m) have all arrived, while midfielder Leon Goretzka has also joined on a free transfer after leaving Bayern Munich.
That comes having brought in just over £300m through the sales of Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, Emi Martinez, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins.
That figure also includes Enzo Barrenechea's £10.3m departure to Benfica and Roma paying £21.3m to make Donyell Malen's loan permanent.
Emery said following Monday's defeat at Arsenal that he was happy with their transfer business, and that everything Villa had planned for they had achieved.
It was always going to be a summer of change at Villa Park, although the depth of the transition with so many key players leaving is something Emery has already admitted he did not expect.
Boss Unai Emery said: "Now we have one striker, Jackson, and we are very happy with him. We have Brian Madjo, but he is injured, and Tammy Abraham's decision is to stay here.
"We opened the door for him but he's decided to stay here with us. I am going to be very demanding with him to add his qualities with us.
"Tammy is coming back to the Premier League. I spoke with him. He needs time but he needs to do it as soon as possible to adapt to the Premier League. He didn't perform like we wanted last year."
Abraham had previously played for Villa on loan from Chelsea, scoring 25 goals to help them return to the Premier League, in 2018-19.
He left Chelsea for Roma in 2021 and also played for AC Milan on loan in 2024-25, before six months at Besiktas in Turkey - scoring 12 goals in 24 appearances - ahead of his return to Villa earlier this year.
Kev: I am impressed with that. We will be a force when we are ready, perhaps in a few more weeks. Nicolas Jackson looked well, Zion Suzuki looked good, Matty Cash was solid and Aaron Wan-Bissaka looked good when he came on. All positives, apart from the result. That Villa would have beaten Brighton.
Radu: A good display from Villa. It seems like Brighton was just an accident. We played the Champions League finalists looking confident. There are good things coming.
Prit: A lot of huff and puff by Villa, but a much better performance than last weekend. I thought Jackson looked good and Suzuki was solid, but we are missing that bit of creativity in the middle. Two matches, no points and no shots on goal is sobering. We need to start playing as a team and not a bunch of strangers.
David: Arsenal had all the possession but Villa arguably had the better chances. We are in a period of transition and most of the new signings aren't ready yet. Once they are, Villa will be a much better team. All of the players who have left have been replaced by younger ones with a higher ceiling. People seem to forget that all of those players were bang average before Unai Emery arrived. Give us a month and we will be strong again.
Arsenal fans
Naim: We got the job done, but against a mediocre opponent. We are still missing options on the left and it is a pretty damning indictment of things when Viktor Gyokeres isn't an option to replace Kai Havertz, who was having a poor game.
Izzy: A good performance against a good side. It shows how much we have improved since this time last year - and without key players as well. Overall, we need to improve because there are a lot harder teams than Aston Villa, but a good performance.
Daz: A great defensive performance. We need to win ugly at times to win the Premier League. On to Chelsea.
Adam: I'm pleased with the win but we made it hard for ourselves. Havertz didn't have a good game. Why was Ben White inverting when he clearly isn't a midfielder? He does best when he overlaps Bukayo Saka and leaves room for Martin Odegaard to operate in that forward midfield space. A good win, but work to do before Chelsea on Sunday.
Follow all the twists and turns of deadline daypublished at 07:08 BST 1 September
07:08 BST 1 September
Tuesday is the final chance of the summer for your Premier League team to do transfer business.
The window closes at 23:00 BST, so teams - and fans - could be in for a late-night transfer scramble.
It has already been a busy window, but whether it turns out to be a day of transfer action or a pretty quiet one for your club, you will be able to keep across it all on BBC Sport.
Analysis: Emery's new-look team need timepublished at 23:17 BST 31 August
23:17 BST 31 August
Emlyn Begley BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Unai Emery is having to build an Aston Villa 2.0 after a summer in which he has lost almost the entire spine of his Europa League-winning team.
A narrow home defeat by the champions will not have been as alarming as the 4-0 loss at Brighton on the opening day.
But this was the first time Villa failed to have a shot on target in a home Premier League game since May 2016 against Newcastle United under caretaker boss Eric Black – when they had already been relegated.
In fact, they are the first team to not have a shot on target after two Premier League games since Swansea City in 2017-18.
There were debuts for Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and ex-Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson – replacements for the departed Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins.
Suzuki showed both good and bad sides – going for a corner and missing it early on and later spilling a Kai Havertz shot which he gathered at the second attempt.
He also made saves from a Declan Rice header and a Havertz one-on-one chance. On both occasions there was an offence - a foul and offside respectively - but Suzuki still made the stops to be sure.
He also looked confident and comfortable with passing the ball at the back.
Jackson did not have a lot of joy on his Villa bow up front – but Watkins would also have struggled to do anything with little service.
The closest they went was when Emiliano Buendia crashed his long-range effort off the woodwork, but there had been a tackle just before it that would probably have ruled out a goal, had it come.
Summer signings Alejandro Garnacho and Aaron Wan-Bissaka both came on in the second half for their Villa Park debuts.
Ibrahim Mbaye and Taylor Harwood-Bellis were both watching from the stands at Villa Park and are expected to finalise moves on Tuesday's deadline day.
Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal: How the players ratedpublished at 23:05 BST 31 August
23:05 BST 31 August
Media caption,
Saka earns Arsenal hard-fought win at Aston Villa
Aston Villa starting XI:
Zion Suzuki: A debut for the £30m goalkeeper from Parma who had no chance with the opening goal. He misjudged his first corner but his distribution caught the eye and will be useful this season. 7
Matty Cash: His usual solid display and got the better of Christos Tzolis, who was replaced at the break. 6
Pau Torres: Helped keep Arsenal at bay until they broke the deadlock in the second half. 6
Victor Lindelof: The Sweden international diligently tried to keep Arsenal in check. Has not let Villa down since arriving on a free transfer. 6
Ian Maatsen: With new signing Matteo Ruggeri on the bench, he has competition and had his hands full with Bukayo Saka, and was beaten to the ball for the goal. 6
Boubacar Kamara: The midfielder is so crucial to how Villa play and he offered an important shield to frustrate the Gunners until Saka's opener. 7
Ross Barkley: The former Everton youngster has been given a second chance at Villa as they rebuild and tried to keep the hosts flowing. 6
John McGinn: The skipper drilled over and was his usual energetic self as Villa tried to unsettle Arsenal and did not drop his energy levels. 6
Emi Buendia: The Argentina international hit the bar early and was a good creative outlet for the hosts but could not find the killer touch. 6
George Hemmings: Villa rate the 19-year-old highly and he showed no fear against the champions. He threatened in the first half, especially with one low cross. 7
Nicolas Jackson: The £65m record signing will take time as he replaces Ollie Watkins but showed flashes of what he can bring. 6
Aston Villa substitutes:
Tammy Abraham (on 71, Jackson): Included despite Ipswich trying to take him on loan, but could not find a leveller. 6
Alysson (on 71, Hemmings): The winger looked lively in his second-half cameo. 6
Alejandro Garnacho (on 78, Barkley): 5
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (on 78, Cash): 5
Subs not used: Bizot, Bogarde, Lynch, Mings, Ruggeri
Image source, Getty Images
