Published Oct 1, 2026, 8:10 AM GMT+1

The Villans have constantly been in the hunt for the Champions League places over recent seasons, but have still been forced to sell some of their best talents to help balance the books.

Meanwhile, the Citizens have spent hundreds of millions over recent seasons in their efforts to secure Premier League glory - doing so without any punishment until now.

However, that’s not to say Unai Emery’s men haven’t made their own mistakes in the market - with the deal to sign one player proving to be a complete disaster.

Why Aston Villa got it all wrong by signing Leon Bailey

As part of their ambitions of wanting to become one of England’s elite, Villa have spent a pretty penny in recent times - as seen with the £30m deal to sign Leon Bailey in the summer of 2021.

At the time, the Jamaican international was seen as a transformative addition, but it’s safe to say that his move to the West Midlands was far from successful.

The winger amassed 165 senior appearances over a five-year period, but was only able to find the back of the net on 23 occasions during his time at Villa Park.

During the early stages of his time in England, the 29-year-old was a regular starter for Emery’s men, but eventually dropped down the pecking order and had to settle for minutes off the bench.

In his final two years as a Villa player, Bailey only managed to start 17 times across all competitions - subsequently only netting once in the Premier League during the aforementioned period.

He was undoubtedly a key player of the senior ranks during the early stages of his time in the West Midlands - but he ultimately fell down the pecking order as years went by.

The Jamaican has since departed for pastures new, but it’s a move which should have come long before it did to save the club millions in their hunt for success.

Aston Villa outcast is becoming another Bailey

Despite the eventual sale of Bailey this summer, Villa still have a chunk of deadwood on the books that needs shifting to help Emery achieve success in the future.

Huge funds were raised over the summer transfer window to help the manager build a squad capable of challenging for success in the future and become one of the big-six.

Heavy money has also been invested into the senior squad over the last few months, which has seen the likes of Tyrone Mings also fall down the pecking order.

The centre-back, who joined for £25m including add-ons in the summer of 2019, has played an influential role in helping the club reach their current Premier League standing.

However, given his constant injury issues, he’s struggled for regular starts, which has seen the likes of Victor Lindelof overtake him in the manager’s system.

The Englishman has only started 40 games across the last four top-flight campaigns, which has seen him struggle to replicate the performances from the early stages of his time at Villa Park.

He’s now starting to emulate Bailey in tailing off towards the back end of his career in the West Midlands, which should lead to a sale in the near future.

Most of his appearances have come off the substitutes bench during such a period, further highlighting how he’s no longer a key member of the manager’s squad at present.

It’s safe to say Mings has cost a pretty penny in the last couple of years, with his wages combined with his transfer fee from 2019 seeing him cost in the region of £56m in total. Indeed, annual, he has cost them around £5.2m per year since 2022/23. Prior to that, he was on a contract worth £4.1m per year for two years. His first deal at Villa Park was worth £1.3m.

There’s no denying that the 33-year-old has emulated Bailey in playing his part in the club’s progression, but ultimately he’s no longer at the level needed for added success.

It would be a sad sight to see the Englishman depart the club given his service, but sometimes in football the decisions need to be made for the sake of the club.

His £63m cost throughout his seven-year spell in the West Midlands is way above the level of output he’s produced - which should see the board cash in on his services at the next opportunity.