Aston Villa headed into the second international break of the season sitting 13th in the Premier League table after an uninspiring start to the new campaign under Unai Emery
Ben is an NCTJ-qualified journalist and joined Reach at the beginning of 2025 to cover a range of content across national, regional, and international titles. He primarily focuses on sports content, with specific expertise in and a passion for football, darts, horse racing, snooker, cricket, Formula One, as well as American football.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Unai Emery's Aston Villa squad endured a tough start to the season
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Aston Villa's start to the season has been sub-par by Unai Emery's standards. His side have netted just six times in their opening seven top-flight fixtures.
On the back of a brilliant but bittersweet sixth-place finish last term, the club have been slow out of the traps. A 0-0 draw against Newcastle United was followed by defeats to Brentford and Crystal Palace.
After another goalless stalemate and a Carabao Cup exit, panic stations were raised, but the team's form has shown improvement. Emery's men have won their last four matches in all competitions and will visit Tottenham next.
Spurs were one of the clubs linked with a move for Morgan Rogers over the summer and while his campaign has been lacklustre, securing his future at Villa Park should be a top priority. Here we take a look at some key decisions that could be made for a boost on and off the pitch, including solving Villa's goal-scoring woes and giving more minutes to a new signing.
Morgan Rogers handed new deal
Rogers was undoubtedly one of Villa's star players last season after mustering an impressive 27 goal contributions in all competitions. This inevitably provoked some transfer interest over the summer and the likes of Tottenham and Chelsea came sniffing, with Villa popping an £80million price tag on Rogers' head.
Although his season has begun poorly for his club, he bagged his first England goal in the Three Lions' 3-0 win against Wales last week, and Villa should do all they can to tie him down to a new contract.
Aston Villa's English midfielder Morgan Rogers poses with the Men's young PFA Players' Player of the Year award backstage during the 2024-2025 Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) awards, at the Opera House in Manchester, northern England, on August 19, 2025. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP) (Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)
Rogers was crowned Men's Young PFA Players' Player of the Year in August
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His current deal does expire in 2030 and it was only signed last year, but it is his wages that must be boosted. It is estimated that he currently earns around £3.9m per year, which translates to roughly £75,000 per week.
This is around half of what Emi Martinez and Youri Tielemens take home. Should Rogers be approached by another club that would be willing to double his wages, that offer could be hard to turn down. Villa should act now and stave off any January interest by offering him an improved extension, perhaps sweetening the deal with a £100m-plus release clause.
Ollie Watkins gets competition up front
Another star whose season has started poorly is striker Ollie Watkins. The 29-year-old scored 16 Premier League goals last season but has only bagged one this term.
In seasons past, Watkins has seen Jhon Duran and loanee Marcus Rashford compete for his spot up top, but now he is left with little challenge. He could also be set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering an injury on international duty with England.
Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins
Watkins should be put on notice with the signing of Toney
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The striker fares better when he has a team-mate breathing down his neck for minutes and so accompanied with an injury concern, a striker should be signed come January. An ideal candidate could be Ivan Toney.
It was reported by talkSPORT that the former Brentford striker, who left for the Saudi Pro League last summer, could be eyeing up a loan move to the Premier League in a bid to secure his spot at the 2026 World Cup.
This could act as the ultimate form of competition for Watkins, who himself is vying for a seat on the England plane behind Harry Kane. Both could push each other as Villa have struggled to score goals, and a loan option would be cost-effective.
Harvey Elliott given more minutes
Despite an upturn in form, Villa are still lacking a creative spark in the final third. With Rogers not yet firing on all cylinders and Watkins lacking service, it could be that new man Harvey Elliott is the solution.
Harvey Elliott pictured
Elliott is yet to adapt to Emery's system but needs to play
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Elliott joined on loan from Liverpool this summer and his deal features a £35m buy option. He has started just twice this term, once in the Carabao Cup where he bagged a goal, and then in the 3-1 victory against Fulham.
While he was taken off at half-time in that league clash, he has shown glimpses in the cup and off the bench that he can string things together. He simply needs more minutes to adapt to Emery's style, as the manager himself has made clear.
The 2-1 victory against Burnley, all of which Elliott watched from the bench, could have been a rout had there been another creative element added to the forward line. Rogers can still be utilised off the left and could drift inside, allowing Elliott to take up a wide position that he is also accustomed to. Emi Buendia, while hard-working, hasn't shown the abundance of flair that Elliott possesses.
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