From the Telegraph:
Aston Villa are the feel-good story English football needs
Unai Emery’s side are defying the numbers in campaign that puts them on verge of taking place at European football’s top table
John Percy
Published 24 March 2026 8:46am GMT
Aston Villa have had to overcome the odds to put themselves on the brink of Champions League qualification
Aston Villa are back in the box seat for Champions League football next season, and Unai Emery is on course to deliver the feel-good story the English game needs.
With the Premier League under more scrutiny than ever before, after Chelsea’s perceived escape from serious sanctions last week, Villa are the uninvited guests disrupting the private members’ party of the “big six”.
Villa have overcome the odds all season and a recent stumble had raised fears that Emery’s squad would run out of steam in the run-in. Dropping out of the Champions League places and missing out next season would have had a severely damaging effect on Villa’s plans for the future.
Yet seeing talismanic captain John McGinn and Youri Tielemans return from injury in Sunday’s 2-0 win over West Ham has reinvigorated the club as they fight on two fronts. That victory lifted them six points above sixth-placed Chelsea to improve their chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League – Villa’s No 1 priority.
With seven games remaining, including three at home, Villa’s destiny is in their own hands.
While their football may be lacking the effervescence of earlier this season, they need to get the job done.
Adhering to financial regulations
A place in next season’s Champions League is what everyone at Villa craves. It offers hope of a much brighter future, and will ease the restrictions on Emery which have proved so frustrating.
Qualification for Europe’s platinum competition will not only represent a significant boost for Villa’s finances and revenue streams but place them in a stronger position on player sales in the summer.
Morgan Rogers, Tielemans, McGinn and Ollie Watkins have attracted strong interest from rival clubs over the last 12 months. Rogers, in particular, is admired by Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur and selling him would relieve much of the financial pressure on the club.
Morgan Rogers
Morgan Rogers has weighed in with 10 goals in all competitions this season
The fact that it is even under consideration only underlines how lopsided the financial rules are and weighted towards the bigger clubs.
Villa would still need to be cautious on their spending. Profitability and sustainability rules, and more importantly Uefa’s squad-cost ratio rules (which limit player and coach spending at 70 per cent of revenue), will always be at the forefront of their minds.
Recruitment will have to be far better. A number of Villa’s signings have proved disappointing in recent years while there are even a few who are yet to play for the club.
Roberto Olabe replaced Monchi as Villa’s recruitment chief in September and is already working on summer targets. There are players in mind for different scenarios, with the Champions League offering the club more scope for quality ones.
With Emery around, anything still feels possible. He has guided Villa to great heights in 3½ years and unsettled the club’s wealthier rivals with the core elements of brilliant coaching, team spirit and boundless positivity.
Most fouled team in league
What makes Villa’s stellar season more remarkable is how they have defied so many obstacles. Aside from their ongoing scrap to comply with financial regulations, Villa are battling against other negative forces.
The most fouled team in the Premier League? It is Villa by some distance with 388.
Emery is always reluctant to criticise officials and operates with a “no excuses” culture, but even he has demanded more protection for his players in recent weeks.
Injuries to Boubacar Kamara, McGinn and Tielemans earlier this year represented a severe test to Villa’s staying power.
It is no coincidence that Villa won only two of their last 10 league matches without their key trio. Any club in the division would struggle without three such important players who epitomise the way their team wants to play.
McGinn and Tielemans have both recently returned but Kamara, arguably Villa’s most important player, is out for the season with a knee injury following a crude challenge from Tottenham’s João Palhinha in the FA Cup tie in January.
Boubacar Kamara
Boubacar Kamara is out for the season after suffering a knee injury in Villa’s FA Cup victory against Tottenham Credit: Shaun Brooks/Getty Images
Rogers, the England international, has also endured some rough treatment and there is much frustration within Villa that he seems to be targeted by opponents without punishment.
No penalties this season
Villa are also one of only two teams not to be awarded a penalty in the league this season. The other is Tottenham.
It is another statistic that Villa do not publicly mention but has drawn widespread bewilderment inside their Bodymoor Heath base.
Indeed, you have to go back to April last year, when Villa were awarded a spot-kick in the Premier League, scored by loanee Marcus Rashford in the 2-1 defeat at Manchester City.
They were close to ending that long wait on Sunday, when West Ham defender Konstantinos Mavropanos challenged Watkins in the area, but the decision was correctly overturned after a VAR review.
Most points gained from losing positions
Villa are also kings of the comeback. This season they rank joint-first with Sunderland for points secured after falling behind (19), a testament to their relentless drive and fitness. Dramatic finishes at Villa Park are frequently the norm.
While Villa’s league position now appears far more secure, they are also dreaming of European glory.
Emery has won the Europa League four times before: three times with Sevilla and the last time with Villarreal in 2021.
Another avenue to the Champions League is winning this competition, with Bologna lying in wait in the quarter-finals next month.
What a story it would be if Emery were to keep this going. With many football fans falling out of love with the beautiful game over the “big six” dominance, it is a story the Premier League needs.
