Published Aug 15, 2026, 7:10 AM GMT+1

Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, Morgan Rogers. All sold this summer, tearing from Villa Park much of the essence which led Villa Park to glory, ending three decades of searching on that front.

But Emery has made this outfit durable. He's steered the club into safe harbour and anchored them in European competition. Aston Villa will play Champions League football for the second time in three years.

Injuries have exacerbated a testing summer. Joao Gomes, part of the midfield solution, is the latest to head to the infirmary.

How Aston Villa can overcome Joao Gomes blow

When Aston Villa signed Gomes from Wolves in a £38m deal last month, they were adding a new profile to the centre of the park. He is a tenacious and tough-tackling beast of a player, covering Amadou Onana as he recovers from a long-term knee injury sustained at the World Cup, but also adding a special, unique kind of intensity.

Gomes, 25, will protect a backline that could see further change. Ezri Konsa is wanted by Arsenal, and the Gunners can be persistent when setting their sights on a top target.

For now, Aston Villa will have to endure at the start of the new campaign. At least Boubacar Kamara has returned to fitness, and John McGinn is building himself up too after a summer of toil.

Aston Villa have dealt with their midfield crisis though. Gomes will return to action in a number of weeks. However, there are still other areas of the field that the decision-makers need to address, and not just in attack.

Aston Villa agree personal terms with relegated star

Aston Villa do need forwards. Rogers' absence will be felt over the course of the campaign, and Alejandro Garnacho is not enough to solve that problem.

However, Emery is indeed patrolling the market for other positions too, with Football Insider reporting that West Ham United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka is at the heart of club-to-club talks that could see him move to the Midlands in a £25m move.

Personal terms have already been agreed in principle, and it does feel like a deal could be completed ahead of the new campaign. The Hammers have been relegated, after all, and while Everton have also made their interest known this summer, Villa boast European football and have a recent title in the bag. Things are moving forward.

Wan-Bissaka, 28, has been a firm presence over the past few years at the London Stadium, and while he struggled for form as the Irons sank last year, he proved an invaluable option throughout the 2024/25 season, completing 60% of his dribbles and winning 5.1 duels on average each game.

If Aston Villa pull this off, they could complete another Gomes-esque deal to help advance the Emery project after a summer of setbacks.

Like the Brazilian, Wan-Bissaka, who starred for DR Congo at the World Cup, has been relegated from the Premier League this year, but he is a solid right-back with experience and dynamism in his play. He would challenge Matty Cash, who at times has been singled out as a weak link in the outfit.

In the same way, Gomes will apply pressure on Villa's existing midfield options, such as they are, and the durability he has armoured himself with after several years of struggle could actually feed into the philosophies that Emery has worked so hard to erect at Villa Park.

Not every signing needs to be a superstar. This is the case with Wan-Bissaka, whose strength and completeness down the right flank could bear dividends for an outfit in transition. The same goes for Gomes.