McGinn has penned a new contract at Villa Park after a summer of speculation linking him with moves away
12:05, 09 Nov 2025
John McGinn of Aston Villa during the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Villa Park
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John McGinn(Image: Cameron Smith - Danehouse/Getty Images)
John McGinn insists leaving Aston Villa never even crossed his mind despite a summer of strife.
As Villa were forced to offload stars to comply with UEFA financial rules, the Scotland talisman was linked with mega moves away from Birmingham, including Newcastle and Man Utd.
But even missing out in a return to the Champions League on the final day of the season was enough for the Villains' skipper to consider upping sticks.
McGinn, who made his 300th Villa appearance in Thursday’s Europa League win over Macabbi Tel Aviv, said: “I had no thoughts really about leaving the club.
“It was a little bit of a confidence booster that teams would be interested but I think most clubs around the country were aware that we had to be in a selling position this summer, so no one was unavailable for transfer.
“But when my situation arose, the club made it clear from the first minute that I wasn’t for sale and I was important here. I’m the captain and I was valued still so highly.
“When you feel so valued and loved here then it really was a no-brainer.”
McGinn admits Villa’s final-day agony when they were wrongly denied an opening goal moments before Manchester United went 1-0 up, carried on into the new season.
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He added: “It was a difficult summer, in terms of the fact we missed out on the Champions League in strange circumstances.
“The hangover from that was tricky and it certainly did affect us.
“But I think that we’ve recovered now.”