Despite what the cutthroat world of Football Twitter would have you believe; it takes a few years to properly evaluate a signing. With that in mind, it’s about time for a look back at Aston Villa’s 2019 summer transfer window to see where Villa got it right and where they got it wrong.
Hitting on a player can mean improving their value (whether they have been sold on or not), or getting production out of them which equates to, or exceeds the fee originally paid. It’s those two criteria which will be used here to judge whether Villa hit or missed on their 2019 summer signings.
2019 was a year of immense turnover in the Villa squad, with the club making 12 permanent additions for a combined £134m.
A recruitment drive of this scale was a necessity after 10 senior pros departed on free transfers following Villa’s promotion to the Premier League, and due to the sheer volume of new recruits which was required, Villa could not afford to splash out on proven players, instead having to take chances on lesser-known names and hope to find value.
Ultimately, it could be argued all of the signings from the summer of 2019 are hits, because at the end of the day, Villa stayed in the Premier League at the end of the subsequent season, and that was ultimately all that mattered. Nevertheless, let’s evaluate each individual signing and how their Villa career has panned out.
Note: Transfer fees are according to Transfermarkt and players are listed in order of most to least expensive.
Wesley – £22.5m
Villa needed additional firepower up top as they re-entered the Premier League, and gambled on the potential of Wesley when they acquired him from Club Brugge. Suffice to say, it has not gone to plan for the Brazilian striker.
Wesley found it difficult to adapt to the Premier League, scoring just five goals in his first 21 appearances. Just as hope grew that the 22-year-old was beginning to settle in and improve, he suffered a devastating knee injury which would completely derail his career.
The forward has made just four Premier League appearances since the injury on New Year’s Day of 2020, and has failed to impress during subsequent loan spells back at Club Brugge and in his native Brazil with Internacional.
Verdict: Miss.
Tyrone Mings – £20.07m
Mings joined Villa on a permanent basis for what was viewed at the time as a substantial fee following a successful loan from Bournemouth, and he has made the most of his second chance as a Premier League player.
Now captain of the club, Mings has made more than 100 league appearances since his permanent switch, cementing himself as the leader not only of Villa’s defence, but the team as a whole.
The centre-back has collected 17 England caps, and has generally solidified his status as a solid Premier League defender. Villa have more than got their money’s worth for Mings.
Verdict: Hit.
Douglas Luiz – £15.12m
Luiz is an interesting case. He is certainly now worth more than the £15m Villa paid to sign him from Manchester City, but it also feels like Luiz has been treading water for the last couple of seasons, failing to kick on in the way many expected he would.
In a way, Villa has somewhat failed Luiz, often forcing him to play in a less natural position as a defensive midfielder due to the lack of a stronger option. This may have a lot to do with why his progress has been stunted.
There is only a year left on Luiz’s contract, and if he were to either sign an extension or get sold for more than Villa originally paid, you would have to say Villa hit on the midfielder, but if he runs his contract down and ends up leaving for nothing, it would go down as a miss.
Verdict: TBD.
Matt Targett – £13.95m
The first player on this list who is no longer with the team, Matt Targett can still be qualified as a successful signing for Villa.
Targett was a reliable and steady left-back during his time at the club, and even won the Player’s Player of the Season award after a strong 2020/21 campaign in which he started every Premier League game.
He recently departed for Newcastle United after spending the second half of last season on loan up north, with Villa making a small profit on Targett after collecting a £15.75m fee.
Based on his service to Villa and the fact the club received more than they paid when moving him on, the signing of Targett has to go down as a good one.
Verdict: Hit.
Ezri Konsa – £11.97m
Dean Smith raided his old club Brentford to sign Konsa, and it turned out to be a wise decision, as the centre-back has turned into a classy operator in the heart of Villa’s defence.
Konsa had to fight Bjorn Engels for a place in the starting 11 for much of his debut campaign, but once he adjusted to the step up in competition that the Premier League poses, he was able to show his quality and has now made 90 league appearances in three seasons.
It is clear Konsa is now worth significantly more than the roughly £12m Villa paid for him, so this is another successful transfer.
Verdict: Hit.
Marvelous Nakamba – £10.8m
Nakamba has enjoyed mixed fortunes since his arrival from Club Brugge, due to inconsistent form and injury issues.
At times, Nakamba has appeared not to be cut out for the physicality and pace of the Premier League, but his performances did noticeably improve when Steven Gerrard arrived at Villa, before an injury cost him a significant chunk of the season.
He may have been up and down in a Villa shirt, but if you sign a player for just under £11m and he becomes a serviceable Premier League player, which Nakamba has been, it’s a hit.
Verdict: Hit.
Trezeguet – £9m
It’s debatable whether Trezeguet was ever truly good enough to play in the Premier League, but his tenacious attitude on the pitch and his knack for scoring important goals has more than made this signing worth the modest fee.
Trezeguet scored the goal which sent Villa to the 2020 Carabao Cup Final and his three goals in the final four games of the 2019/20 Premier League season secured the club a crucial six points as they narrowly avoided relegation. That alone makes this a successful purchase.
Verdict: Hit.
Anwar El Ghazi – £8.1m
El Ghazi’s Villa career probably peaked in the 2019 Championship Playoff Final when he netted the opening goal, and the Dutchman never quite pushed on during three inconsistent seasons in the Premier League.
However, for a reasonable price, Villa got 20 total goal contributions in 71 games, which is pretty good value.
Verdict: Hit.
Tom Heaton – £7.92m
Heaton began his star-crossed Villa career by conceding a penalty in the second minute of his home debut against Bournemouth, and ended it with a serious knee injury at his old stomping ground, Turf Moor.
There were certainly some highlight saves made, but Heaton didn’t hit the same heights of his stellar performances at Burnley, and was released at the end of the 2020/21 season.
Verdict: Miss.
Bjorn Engels – £7.2m
Engels’ Villa career was summed up by his display at Villa Park against Tottenham just before lockdown in 2020. The Belgian conceded a penalty, scored an equaliser, and then made an horrendous error which allowed Heung-Min Son to strike a last-minute winner.
He generally struggled to adapt to the Premier League and was sold last summer to Royal Antwerp for just £3.15m.
Verdict: Miss.
Jota – £4.05m
Jota was the pre-season MVP in the summer of 2019, laying waste to the likes of Walsall and Minnesota United, but once the real games started, he was a step below Premier League level and ultimately made only 10 league appearances during the 2019/20 season, registering one assist.
He was let out of his contract in October 2020 and has now been without a club since leaving Deportivo Alaves at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
Verdict: Miss.
Kortney Hause – £3.06m
Hause has been a rock-solid backup, has provided Villa with 32 Premier League appearances and was incredibly cheap.
His late winner at Old Trafford alone might have repaid the fee Villa spent on him.
Verdict: Hit.
What do you think, Villa fans? Where did the club hit and where did they miss during the summer 2019 window? Leave a comment below.
The Villa Ramble 
Leave a comment