And here we are. On the back of a tumultuous summer that probably wasn’t quite what was intended, Villa enter the 2026-27 campaign as reigning Europa League champions with a distinctly different look than the side who finally lifted a second European trophy.

I’ve seen all sorts of takes, but the most common is the strange sense of optimism Villans have with Emery still at the helm. That’s how good he’s been. That’s the credit he’s banked. Is it misplaced? Well, that’s yet to be seen of course, but I’m not even sure that’s the question anyone should be asking. The question is whether Villa and Emery had much choice. That’s the question that gets to the heart of the modern game. Whether we’re optimistic or not is not really relevant.

We’re all intimately familiar with the rules limiting Villa’s spending. We’re all intimately familiar with an aging roster that owed as much to Dean Smith as anyone. Players no one really would’ve banked on who, in the right hands and with a bit of added quality, turned into a resilient, adaptable side that could finally win something.

And of course that comes with a cost. The ‘big’ sides start poaching, leveraging their years of financial muscle with rules that have locked those revenue advantages into place. So Villa were left with little choice but to cash in on Morgan Rogers. Watch Youri pick United. Find a replacement for Erzri Konsa. Move on from Dibu, bid farewell to Lucas Digne.

On paper, it should look depressing. And I suppose it is, when viewed in the context of sporting parity. But as the Manchester City verdict keeps getting punted into purgatory and foreign owners like Villa’s have flooded the market, parity is a thing of the past. So you try to box clever. Which is where the optimism comes in because we trust Emery to spend money.

Will he get it all right? Of course not. Arsenal win the league and still go spend a fortune implying there are better players, that ‘mistakes’ have been made. Chelsea carry 40-some players, loaning, buying, selling and still manage to underachieve, paying huge sums for saviors that haven’t produced.

The churn is just going to be a thing from top to bottom.

So. It’s churned at Villa and the wheels are still in motion. Nicolas Jackson? Perhaps. Jean-Philippe Mateta? Fikayo Tomori? Youssouf Fofana? Joshua Zirkzee? Lots of names. Leon Goretzka seems like a thing that’s happening. Joan Manzambi, Garnacho, Ruggeri, Suzuki, Gomes are in. Others mooted. The side we see line up to tomorrow against Brighton will probably be somewhat different than the staring XI two months from now. Other sides have gotten used to it, and now Villa must, too. Other names are being mentioned and we’ll see who lands.

Konsa? Was never going to be worth more with only two years left on his contract at his age. Rogers? Two years at Villa and roughly an £80m+ profit. Youri Tielemenans, signed on a free, two good years, £35m profit. Like Duran, sell when the market is high. Villa could’ve probably kept all but Youri, but we know by now that when larger pay packets and ‘big names’ are involved, you always end up losing by hanging on too tight. I can see Ollie going, stories saying he’s asked for the move and no one doubts it’s for the ridiculous personal terms the Saudis will pay. If he wants to go play in a desert to pad his family’s nest egg, I’ll simply say thank you and good luck.

If Konsa really makes Arsenal notably better, I’ll be surprised. I like him, I really do, but not a transformational player. Rogers? He could go on to be unplayable, but he’s never going to really be worth more than he is right now, and Chelsea have a way of ruining players. He was also a very streaky player. Digne? Right time to let him go. Martinez? We loved him. But once he wanted a move away to a ‘bigger’ club I was done with him, all his previous words of devotion ringing hollow. Was he fabulous? Yes. Indispensable? No. From what I’ve seen Suzuki will be great shot stopper and is also a big physical presence.

An old American football saying I’ll repeat again says it all: Better to sell a year too early than a year too late.

On the other side, the notional investment in Madjo could pay huge dividends. Alysson, while not making huge waves yet, is almost certainly an upgrade on Bailey and/or Guessand. Hemmings? There’s a player in there. Wan-Bissaka? He’s going to be an upgrade on Kosta, or Ezri deputizing.

As tomorrow’s opponents have shown, and Brentford as well, you can bank profits and go find other diamonds. Take advantage of the team who only buy finished articles. They’re often not really much better than he new faces. Ollie, Konsa, Martinez, Rogers…none of them were huge layouts and were all plucked from relative obscurity.

So. I have no idea what the opener holds. But we had a shit start last year and still won a trophy and finished fourth, with a squad that was seriously punching above its weight.

Do I back Emery? I do. He’s earned it and Villa have gotten faster, younger and stronger. Will there be bumps? Of course. But I think we’ve done more with the Rogers money than with the Grealish money. That’s where optimism is rooted.

Over to you.