Aston Villa’s Europa League triumph has brought a new sense of expectation to the fanbase, with added trophies now demanded in the West Midlands.
Unai Emery has transformed the club into a leading outfit in the Premier League, as seen by their consistent finishes within the top seven of England’s top-flight.
The European triumph over Freiburg has cemented the Spaniard’s place in the club’s history books, but he too will want to take the Villans to the next level and fight for added silverware.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery celebrates after winning the UEFA Europa League
He will lead the side to the UEFA Super Cup final against PSG in early August, with the clash presenting the perfect chance to show their quality against Europe’s best outfit.
However, if Emery is to hand the fanbase added memories in the months ahead, he will likely need reinforcements from the hierarchy to add further quality to his senior ranks.
Aston Villa could have £35m bid accepted for attacking star
Since the European triumph in Istanbul last week, Villa have been linked with a whole host of top-level talents ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.
Galatasaray midfielder Gabriel Sara has been mentioned as just one potential addition, with the player himself open to a move to the West Midlands this window.
Galatasaray's Gabriel Sara shots at goal Andreas Hillergren
A £35m fee has been touted for his signature, leading to reports circulating that an offer has already been made for the Brazilian’s services ahead of the summer.
Sara isn’t the only player who’s emerged on their shortlist in recent days, with AS Roma winger Matias Soule another player currently being considered by the hierarchy.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness, the player himself is now open to a Premier League move, with Villa just one club keen on securing a deal.
The report also states that the Italian outfit need to raise funds to avoid any financial issues, which could push the Argentine star closer to the exit door this summer.
A fee in the region of £35m has been touted for a potential transfer ahead of the upcoming window, but it remains to be seen how much Emery’s side would be willing to fork out for his services.
Why Soule would be perfect for Watkins at Aston Villa
Earlier in the 2025/26 campaign, Aston Villa fans started to ask questions about the future of Ollie Watkins after he endured an uncharacteristic goal drought.
ollie-watkins-aston-villa-freiburg
The 30-year-old only scored once in his first 18 games of the campaign, but the England international managed to silence many of the doubters by the end of the term.
A run of 12 goals in his final 16 games of the season allowed the forward to finish the campaign on 21 goals - the most of any player within Emery’s senior ranks.
Top-scoring English players in the PL (2025/26)
Player
Ollie Watkins
Morgan Gibbs-White
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Danny Welbeck
Morgan Rogers
Cole Palmer
Jarrod Bowen
Jaiden Anthony
He’s undoubtedly cemented his place as the manager’s starting number nine at Villa Park, with a real focus now needing to be directed in landing players to help Watkins reach the next level.
A summer move for Soule could provide the centre-forward with added ammunition in front of goal and provide him with the best chance of improving his goal tally in 2026/27.
Matias-Soule
The Argentine’s stats from his recent season in Serie A highlight his quality within attacking areas - many of which would undoubtedly benefit Watkins upon any potential transfer.
Soule managed to create 1.9 chances per 90 in Italy’s top-flight this season, with such a tally ranking him within the top 20% of all attackers in Europe.
Many of his chances have come from his superb crossing ability - as seen by his 30% cross success rate, which also places him above 85% of other forwards in the division.
Such figures will no doubt be music to the ears of the England international, who managed to score 25% of his goals this season with his head from a cross.
Soule’s ability to drive with the ball into attacking areas has also caught the eye in recent months - subsequently completing an impressive tally of 1.5 successful dribbles per 90.
All of his attacking stats certainly make for good reading, with the 23-year-old also having the ability to score himself - as seen by his tally of seven goals across all competitions in 2025/26.
AS Roma's Matias Soule in action with Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni
The £35m asking price for his signature could be a potential bargain for Villa this summer, with the youngster having the chance to rescue the next level in his career at Villa Park.
Should he be able to strike up a partnership with Watkins, the pair could help push the club to the next level and fulfil the demands of the supporters and secure added silverware.
Morgan-Rogers-Aston-Villa-Europa-League Related
[Rogers 2.0: Aston Villa exploring deal to sign "most exciting player in England"](https://www.footballfancast.com/new-rogers-aston-villa-pursuing-deal-for-ethan-nwaneri/ "Rogers 2.0: Aston Villa exploring deal to sign "most exciting player in England"")
Aston Villa are eyeing up a deal for a star who could be their next version of Morgan Rogers.