Winter 24/26 transfer window - the verdict

[LeonW]

My first ever thread started. Thoughts on the window?

[Sexual Ealing]

I think it was the longest one ever.

[Gareth]

Annoying that we still have to do the Supermarket Sweep thing but rules are rules I guess.

Think we have reacted to injuries about as well as we could, sure Dougie wasn’t top of priority list before Kamara went down.

Personally I didn’t overly rate Malen as a striker option so happy enough with Tammy for him.

Sure like most would have liked one more….

[Brazilian Villain]

It is what it is. We'll just have to put our big boy pants on for the rest of the season.

[eamonn]

Last year was a B+. This year it's a B-.

But they're both first class honours so let's look forward to the grad ball.

[LeonW]

For my two peneth, the recent winter windows seem to be more about addressing errors from the previous summer when we had more time to get ourselves sorted and this one is the same.

I said the summer transfer window was a 1/10. I’d probably wouldn’t change that because whilst I thought Bizot was a smart pick up, it’s only really been Lindelof who has surprised and impressed. Guessand has been an absolute disaster and Sancho ever poorer than the very low expectations I already have. The Elliot situation is ridiculous for all involved.

The fact that Bailey is already a marked improvement on Guessand speaks well for nobody when the club decided to dispense with him last summer but not even on a permanent transfer, only a loan.

We all know the restrictions Villa have and their chokehold in allowing us to compete, but it’s also fair to balance it out with two points that can be true at the same time:

1). That we need to be smarter in our signings when we do spend money.
2). It’s not fair that we have no wriggle room to get any significant signings (fee or wages) incorrect.

We did well to get our money back on Malen but something is wrong in Emery chasing him for so long and deciding quite early that he isn’t what he wants. See Diaby, Philogene also.

Luiz is back and I think that’s a smart move as he knows our team and system and already started well. Tammy I think is very good business at his price considering it’ll likely be less than we’ll get for Malen and way less than Strand Larsen at double the price.

But in turning to what we’re familiar with in Luiz and Bailey is an acknowledgment that we’ve got things wrong and no matter what else, something isn’t working in the recruitment department and hasn’t been for a while when we’re largely so reliant on the same group of players signed during the Smith era.

The two incoming players I like. Good on getting our money back for Malen. Palace won’t be stupid enough to trigger buying Guessand. Core of the squad and continuing issues not really address or improved. 5/10.

[Percy McCarthy]

1/10? Have you looked at the two league tables we’re in?

[geolex]

1/10? Have you looked at the two league tables we’re in?

Yes and the backbone of the side that got us into those positions  were already here ie: McGinn Youri ,Kamara Cash konsa ,rogers etc

[LeonW]

1/10? Have you looked at the two league tables we’re in?

For last summer’s business? Definitely. I stand by that rating and my points on the players brought in. Our achievements and positions so far this season have been more hampered than helped by the majority of that business. Bizot was a smart pick up and Lindelof has surpassed expectations significantly. Little money was spent there. The majority of spend of transfer fees and wages have gone on players in Sancho, Guessand and Elliot who have contributed little to nothing and not materially improved the team. And in the case of Elliott, we can’t really use him.

[algy]

Alysson & Brian Madjo seem like punts in the hope that they’ll be good players in the future. No problem with that, I think we have to look at that type of signing, but not expecting either to be near the first team soon.

If we do end up selling Guessand for close to what we paid for him, we’ve done well. Think he was given a bit of a hard time on here, but it was still pretty clear that he wasn’t the player we needed. Bringing Bailey back to fill in for him feels a good idea too. It wasn’t working for him at Roma, and as far as we’re concerned he’s better than Guessand in our system anyway.

Swapping Malen for Tammy and some cash seems another good deal for us. Again no problem with Malen, I think he’s a good player, but I don’t think he’s what we need. I’m not sure if Tammy is strictly an upgrade on Malen, but I think he’s more suited to the way we play. It sounds like he’ll also take the wage bill down a bit, with is good fit the SCR rules.

Dougie could be one of the best bits of transfer business ever. Sell him for £40m and 2 players, buy him back for £20m 18 months later. It’s a very *us* transfer these days.

Overall - we’ve strengthened, whilst playing it safe with the signings - none of the players we’ve bought in will struggle to settle and they’ll all know what to expect, bar Tammy by I don’t think he’ll struggle with it at all & may well thrive.

Pretty happy with it all. Quietly confident about the rest of the season.

[Drummond]

My first ever thread started. Thoughts on the window?

I prefer the round one.

[Percy McCarthy]

1/10? Have you looked at the two league tables we’re in?

Yes and the backbone of the side that got us into those positions  were already here ie: McGinn Youri ,Kamara Cash konsa ,rogers etc

Yes. And we kept them all in the transfer window.

[Percy McCarthy]

1/10? Have you looked at the two league tables we’re in?

For last summer’s business? Definitely. I stand by that rating and my points on the players brought in. Our achievements and positions so far this season have been more hampered than helped by the majority of that business. Bizot was a smart pick up and Lindelof has surpassed expectations significantly. Little money was spent there. The majority of spend of transfer fees and wages have gone on players in Sancho, Guessand and Elliot who have contributed little to nothing and not materially improved the team. And in the case of Elliott, we can’t really use him.

Transfers go two ways. You don’t think not selling our best players was good business? Rogers, Kamara, Tielemans, Konsa?

[Demitri_C]

I feel that the January window was better than the summer  one for transfers in  to be honest

My only disappointment  is loaning jimoh out

[SaddVillan]

This is The Athletic's Villa correspondent Jacob Tanswell's summary of our transfer window.

INSIDE ASTON VILLA’S TRANSFER WINDOW: GARNER, MBAYE INTEREST, GALLAGHER SAGA AND OLD BOYS RETURN

Aston Villa in the transfer window comes with toing and froing.

The winter market was not going to be as turbulent as the summer 2025 one had been, but Villa’s tendencies under manager Unai Emery always carry intrigue.

They were still walking a tightrope financially, with several club employees acknowledging it would prove challenging to make signings at mid-season. Giving and taking — selling to buy — was required. This way of working influenced summer prudence and now winter constraints.

Senior figures had to placate Emery’s wishes to rewire the squad, pressing ahead with the twin ambitions for this season of qualifying for the Champions League and winning the Europa League. As January progressed, even a possible title charge was in the back of Villa minds.

Club sources described the need to “create a gap”, mainly for financial reasons, in the squad to bring in oven-ready senior players.

Villa were prioritising attacking positions and felt, if they could find the money to do so, that the winter window presented viable options.

As it transpired, this proved a time for homecomings.

The club made four signings, though they can be split into two categories: “potential players” — teenagers Brian Madjo from France’s Metz and Alysson of Gremio in Brazil — and Villa old boys — Tammy Abraham and Douglas Luiz, plus Leon Bailey’s early recall from a season-long loan to Roma — recruited to hit the ground running.

Villa made their move for Alysson early. Their data and scouting team identified his progress in Brazil and Emery’s chief scout, Alberto Benito, who either approves or vetoes a signing, attended two Gremio fixtures in early December: Cruzeiro at home and Corinthians away.

Emery spoke to Alysson, watched game footage and noted that although his goal output was lukewarm — one goal in 34 league appearances since his first-team debut in July 2024 — he had the tools to exploit his potential within his system. The winger’s pace and physicality were regarded as transferable to England, and the signing was made for €12million (£10.4m; $13.2m) with a 10 per cent sell-on clause.

The acquisition of Madjo, a 17-year-old England youth international, was a consequence of first-team scouting, rather than the club’s youth recruitment. Emery’s staff identified a certain profile of forward in the Metz youngster. The £10million fee took several close observers by surprise, who believed it was excessive, but Villa entered the window aiming to sign a young attacker — and Madjo fitted the bill.

But he was also regarded as someone who could be built up incrementally, meaning Emery’s desire for a traditional No 9 remained. This was the priority, yet as recruitment under the Spaniard has long illustrated, attention can quickly pivot elsewhere if there are, as several club sources put it, “market opportunities”.

One of these, which was tentatively explored, The Athletic can reveal, was Everton midfielder James Garner. At the time, the former Manchester United loanee was entering the final six months of his contract, with Everton and sources close to the player aware of Villa’s internal admiration.

Ultimately, though, Garner signed a new deal on January 23, with the Villa staff’s fondness for his versatility and talent never coalescing any further.

Another player of interest was Paris Saint-Germain’s Ibrahim Mbaye. The 18-year-old winger is highly thought of, yet Villa were unable to offer the finances necessary, while there was doubt as to whether PSG would sell anyway.

One “market opportunity” that Villa seriously explored was Conor Gallagher. They were aware the Atletico Madrid and England midfielder was available. After Emery had pursued him in 2024, when he moved to Spain from Chelsea, Villa pushed again last month. Villa have a good relationship with Atletico and laid the groundwork in the weeks leading up to the winter window, speaking to Gallagher and his representatives.

It was not until the end of the process, when Tottenham Hotspur became serious competitors for his signature, that Villa lost confidence. They had a sense that Gallagher had started to delay as other clubs attempted to spoil negotiations. Until then, Villa had acted on Emery’s desire to sign the 25-year-old and felt the former Chelsea academy graduate was willing to join.

However, sources close to the player maintain that no agreement was ever reached with Villa and it is natural to think about his decision, especially if he has different options. Returning to London, closer to his family home in Surrey, is another consideration which may have swayed his judgement.

Gallagher was an Emery-led pursuit; it can be revealed that Villa sources stated their offer to Atletico was an initial loan with an obligation to make the move permanent for €26million plus potential add-ons, yet, critically, it involved a much lower salary than Spurs were proposing.

Villa felt Gallagher had pivoted from them to wanting Tottenham and insisted “they did not want to enter an auction”, according to one senior source, regarding his salary terms. Once Villa were not prepared to go any higher, Spurs had a clear run to complete the signing.

Gallagher was a player Emery had long admired and Villa felt compelled to act.

Strengthening in central midfield was not actually a priority — at least, not until the club suffered a triple injury blow within two weeks. The Athletic revealed losing Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans in quick succession accelerated Villa’s decision to recruit a midfielder.

Three injuries in the same area were unlucky, but also undermined Villa’s hand in wanting to sign a replacement.

Kamara sustained a knee injury in the opening stages of the FA Cup third-round win at Tottenham, with Villa stating in the immediate aftermath that the France international was anticipated to be missing for two to three weeks. Discreetly, though, they were making enquiries about recruiting a midfielder on loan. The Athletic then broke the news that Kamara would miss the rest of the season, with McGinn later ruled out for six weeks.

The news on Tielemans, who will miss around eight weeks, was another setback, yet supporters wanting the 28-year-old to sign a new deal, having been under the impression he was contracted until 2027, can take heart in learning his agreement actually runs for another 12 months.

Similar is true for Ross Barkley.

Reports have indicated he is out of contract at the end of this season, yet strong sources close to the player insist he signed a three-year deal in summer 2024 and therefore, remains under contract until 2027. Reports of the former England midfielder joining relegation favourites Wolverhampton Wanderers or the Championship’s Sheffield United on loan were misplaced, with Barkley returning to training last week.

Barkley’s only target for the rest of this season, following a December knee injury, was to be fit in time for the defining stages of the campaign.

On Thursday, January 22, the same night Villa played away to Fenerbahce, Kamara underwent knee surgery in Lyon. The operation was carried out by knee specialist Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet and was described as a success. The extent of the issue, it can be revealed, was a tear of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in Kamara’s left knee and not a recurrence of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture he sustained in 2024.

In the meantime, senior figures had travelled to Istanbul ahead of schedule, attempting to finalise an agreement with Besiktas for Abraham.

Like Gallagher, Abraham’s signing was driven by Emery. His signing made sense from a profile and financial perspective — there was an acknowledgement that current constraints would have made it difficult sign a striker from Europe’s top five leagues.

Abraham was the traditional No 9 who could replace Ollie Watkins without changing Emery’s system. Fundamentally, this was what the Spaniard favoured and why bringing in Abraham meant he had to create the “gap” staff spoke about in the case of Donyell Malen.

Emery did not want to lose the 26-year-old, but understood he would have to sacrifice him for his preference of forward.

Malen was seeking more minutes as the line-leading centre-forward, yet Emery viewed him in the second-striker role. Villa sources insisted Malen wanted more game time as a No 9 and Emery was unconvinced he could play the role effectively, noting how he struggled in matches without Watkins as a partner.

Villa had been in talks with Roma throughout the window.

They discussed Abraham, who had been a Roma player before Besiktas triggered the €13million obligation to purchase their summer loanee earlier in the month and Bailey, whom the Italian club were keen to remove from their books, having been paying his full salary and this season’s amortisation in return for a single Serie A start. It made sense for Malen to come into the conversation and he agreed to the move, with Villa receiving an initial €2million loan fee before Roma have the €25million obligation to sign the Dutchman permanently in the summer.

Malen’s exit left Villa short a striker for a week, though.

Temporary fixes were assessed, including using winger Evann Guessand as a No 9.

Yet director of football operations Damian Vidagany and sporting director Roberto Olabe flew to Istanbul on the morning of Monday, January 19. A few hours later, they travelled to Besiktas’ Tupras Stadium, watching the hosts beat Kayserispor 1-0 and, more importantly, attempt to thrash out terms for Abraham.

In complex negotiations, Villa were emboldened by Abraham’s desire to join. Emery was interested in signing Abraham in 2023, at the end of his first season in charge at Villa, with discussions taking place before the 11-cap England international suffered an ACL knee injury that May.

This time, Abraham decided his future would either be staying at Besiktas or returning to Villa. There was an appetite on his end to come back to the Premier League and possibly make a late dash for a World Cup spot, but out of respect to Besiktas, he did not wish to agitate for a transfer.

During the weeks of impasse, Abraham made it clear to other interested Premier League clubs who enquired about his availability that he only intended to join Villa. Everton were one of two top-flight teams that enquired. Abraham only wanted Villa, yet this increasingly seemed more unlikely to materialise over the week that Villa were in Turkey.

At one stage, a Villa figure described the move for Abraham as “impossible” while the forward relayed concerns to acquaintances. Indeed, the only agreement was on personal terms.

Speculation surrounding Guessand being used as a makeweight in the transfer less than six months after his €30m summer arrival from Nice was strongly denied by several sources. Guessand’s representatives held talks with Villa upon his return from playing for Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations. The impression from one person in the meeting was that all parties wanted the 24-year-old to stay.

Villa had been in dialogue with Crystal Palace regarding Jean-Philippe Mateta in the weeks before. To add intrigue, Palace’s long-standing interest in Guessand raised the question of his exit once more.

When Emery and his squad arrived in Turkey for Thursday’s match, Villa were still assessing alternative options. Reports of targeting Paris Saint-Germain’s Goncalo Ramos were misguided, but delegates happening to be in Istanbul for a game was useful in that there were agents on the ground who were involved with both Fenerbahce and Villa.

Intermediaries proposed Fenerbahce’s Youssef En-Nesyri, whose own negotiations with Juventus over a move to Italy had hit a roadblock, with talks held at the Address hotel, two and a half miles away from Fenerbahce’s stadium and where delegates from the home club were also staying. Conversations were taking place late on Wednesday night, January 21, with mutual intermediaries working out potential parameters.

But those talks only served as contingencies to Abraham, who remained Emery’s main target. While Villa were closing out their victory against Fenerbahce, the idea of a fee for the Englishman, as well as 19-year-old Turkish defender Yasin Ozcan, who has been on loan to Anderlecht of Belgium this season, moving in the opposite direction came onto the table.

The decisive breakthrough happened on the Friday, with Abraham saying his goodbyes to his team-mates in the morning and a final agreement reached in the afternoon. Villa had struck a deal for €21million, plus Ozcan, with Besiktas. Abraham flew to England to undergo his medical the following day, also completing paperwork on a four-and-a-half-year contract.

Villa received more for Malen (a deal worth €27million) than what they spent on his replacement. A high earner at Besiktas, Abraham made a significant financial sacrifice, in the many millions, to clinch this move, waiving money to ensure he could join Villa.

Abraham’s signing was not announced until last Tuesday, January 27, but he had been in the building since Saturday and completed relevant paperwork in the days before.

Bailey’s return had been a surprise, but Villa decided they required a right-sided player following the injury to McGinn. Emery spoke to Bailey to discuss reintegration. The Jamaica international was happy to be back and feels comfortable in the Midlands — he reiterated he wants to play on the right and in his favoured position.

This scenario had not been foreseen by Emery as Roma did not have an official clause to end Bailey’s loan early. But at the start of January, he declared publicly that “we must keep him playing in Rome”. This was Villa altering plans for practical reasons. Bailey is their only available winger, albeit new signing Alysson could come into contention to make his debut on the weekend trip to Bournemouth.

While Villa and Roma found a solution in cutting Bailey’s loan short, a similar case in Harvey Elliott’s possible return to Liverpool proved more arduous.

Elliott has been disappointed by the lack of game time at Villa and how reluctant they were to play him, in light of having to trigger an obligation to buy the 22-year-old forward should he make 10 appearances (he had been stuck on five since early October). Villa sources say that price is closer to £30million, while Liverpool state it is £35m.

Talks of removing the obligation did not progress, leaving only two solutions possible; because Elliott had already played for two clubs this season, he could only go to a team that did not follow the European calendar, or Villa could pay a termination fee. The 22-year-old was unsure of moving to MLS, where Charlotte FC — managed by former Villa boss Dean Smith — expressed interest. Ultimately, it came down to whether Villa would be willing to pay the termination fee. Emery continued to assert “the situation had not changed”.

During Elliott’s three-month absence following that October appearance, he continued to train and attended every home game, wishing his team-mates well before kick-off. Multiple sources speak about his impressive handling of a tough situation, praising his politeness and professionalism.

Elliott returned to the squad for the match away to Newcastle United on January 25, owing to Villa’s lack of attacking depth and, with just five games left before the obligation, that he could be a potential option to play if required. He then started the Europa League tie against Red Bull Salzburg four days later — whether he would have done so had Guessand not left the team hotel at midday that Thursday for London, finalising a loan to Palace, is another question. Guessand was ready to play against Salzburg, even if Palace’s interest in him never went away.

Villa became receptive to the Ivorian’s departure, as did the player, having accepted he would now be behind Abraham and Bailey in the pecking order. Emery said he wanted Guessand to stay, but knew he required work — Villa accepted a £2million loan fee, with Palace also getting the option to make the transfer permanent for £28m at the end of the season.

Before the McGinn and Tielemans injuries, Villa dismissed enquiries from three Premier League clubs for Lamare Bogarde.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek was considered. The idea was floated among staff, who asserted his data was still good, despite concerns over his fitness. A deal never advanced as it was doubtful Milan would allow the England international to leave on loan.

Villa needed a midfielder still, but there were limited loan options. Douglas Luiz had been discussed among representatives, who had told The Athletic throughout January that he wished for a return to the club he left for Juventus 18 months earlier.

Crucially, it was not until the 24 hours after Tielemans sustained his injury at Newcastle that Villa began to hasten discussions. A week earlier, they had been under the impression he would be joining Chelsea, who made an approach but decided against pursuing a move. Sources close to the player insisted Atletico Madrid were a topic internally, but Villa always remained in the picture.

This was partly influenced by Douglas Luiz’s departure in summer 2024.

The Brazil midfielder felt he had unfinished business at Villa. In every window since, the 27-year-old was linked with a return, including last summer, although Villa sources maintained they were not interested in signing him at that time. Nottingham Forest, where Douglas Luiz had been on loan since August, were willing to cut short his season-long stay, and Juventus did not want him back.

A senior figure at another Premier League club acknowledged the January market for high-level midfielders was tough, so for Villa, it was a case of better the devil you know. Douglas Luiz’s return — on loan with a €25million option, with his former club paying his salary in full — made practical sense, with his attributes dovetailing with those of fellow midfielder Amadou Onana.

People close to the player’s camp described him as “crazy happy” to be coming back, explaining that Emery’s level of coaching is of a higher level than those he had worked with during his season-and-a-half away.

Villa also had to contend with the 24 players who spent the first half of this season out on loan.

Zepiqueno Redmond was recalled from his loan at Huddersfield Town and trained at Sheffield Wednesday, only to sustain a recurrence of the injury that had plagued him. He will stay at Villa to undergo surgery. Rory Wilson had interest from Hoffenheim and teams in Scandinavia, with Villa prepared to accept a loan with a €7million option from the Bundesliga club, but the striker could not agree personal terms.

Emery likes Ben Broggio, Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba and George Hemmings, with all three receiving loan interest. The former secured a move to Falkirk on Monday morning — helped by McGinn’s positive assessments to his brother Stephen, who is a coach at the Scottish Premiership side — while Jimoh-Aloba prioritised a return to Villa’s Championship neighbours West Bromwich Albion, having left them in August 2023 after coming through the academy.

Successfully securing Champions League qualification will give Villa a bigger budget next summer and open up broader, more attractive options. But there will be more big decisions — they have a shortlist of possible replacements for first-choice goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, for instance.

This was a window where Villa had to adjust to injury misfortune and, all the while, satisfy Emery’s wishes for improvement.

It called for frank thinking and, in the forms of Douglas Luiz and Abraham, practical reunions.