The players set to leave Aston Villa this summer – and seven who could join them
Excitement is building at Aston Villa as Unai Emery prepares for his first full season in charge.
The former Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain manager made a monumental impact after he was named as successor to Steven Gerrard during the first half of last season – although not many onlookers could have predicted the turnaround in fortunes he inspired at Villa Park.
Taking over a side sat in the lower half of the Premier League table, Emery led Villa to a seventh place finish by the time the final whistle had been blown on the season and with it came a return to European football for the first time since 2010. A whole host of changes will take place as Emery prepares his squad and two departures have already been confirmed – but several more Villa players could be heading for the exit door during the summer transfer window.
The former England winger agreed to a second spell at Villa Park just over two years ago after he left Serie A giants Internazionale. A regular feature of Villa squads over that time, the 37-year-old has provided a useful outlet for successive managers – but he will depart the club later this week when his contract comes to a close.
Will leave: Jed Steer
The former Norwich City goalkeeper has made just 36 appearances during a decade-long stint at Villa Park and has spent the vast majority of that time out on loan with the likes of Doncaster Rovers, Huddersfield Town, Charlton Athletic and Luton Town. A serious achilles tendon injury has limited his involvement over the last two seasons and he will leave Villa when his contract ends later this week.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget Villa paid around £17m for the former Chelsea winger when he moved to Villa Park from French club Lyon in September 2020. Although a return of 17 goals involvements (10 goals and seven assists) in 56 appearances is a fair return, Traore has never really established himself and will surely depart the club this summer when he enters the final year of his current contract.
The 26-times capped Zimbabwe international is another player about to enter the final year of his existing deal and another that has failed to establish himself in the Villa side in recent seasons. He spent the second half of last season on loan at Luton Town and there has been some speculation the Hatters could make a permanent move for the 29-year-old following their promotion into the Premier League.
Could leave: Keinan Davis
There was some excitement over Davis as he progressed through Villa’s academy following a move from non-league club Biggleswade Town. However, six goals in 86 appearances across the Championship and Premier League show he still has plenty to prove and a promising loan spell at Watford has led to speculation a number of second tier clubs are interested in securing his services this summer.
