Aston Villa upheaval is a risk but Emery can release v2.0 and reap rewards | Jonathan Wilson

After exodus of key players, youthful arrivals over the summer amount to a fresh beginning with plenty to get excited about

Last season was the greatest Aston Villa have enjoyed since they https://www.theguardian.com/football/that-1980s-sports-blog/2016/may/26/aston-villa-european-cup-relegated-1982">won the European Cup in 1982.

They claimed their second European trophy by https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/may/20/aston-villa-europa-league-win-unai-emery-freiburg">lifting the Europa League, but even without that would have secured Champions League qualification by finishing fourth in the Premier League.

Despite a miserable start during which they failed to win any of their first five league games, there was even a spell around Christmas when it looked as though Villa might be challengers for the title.

The question after a season like that is always: where next?