Aston Villa latest: Harwood-Bellis undergoes medical as Watkins pens farewell

Aston Villa’s summer has lurched from one seismic shift to another. Ollie Watkins’ exit to Al-Hilal for £51m capped a frenetic transfer window, while the club moved swiftly to replace him with a defender undergoing a medical on Friday. The dual developments underscore Villa’s determination to reshape the squad before the Champions League opener against Viktoria Plzeň on 19 September, yet they also expose the fragility of a squad still adjusting to life without its talisman.

Watkins’ abrupt farewell and Villa’s search for a Plan B

Watkins’ £51m switch to Al-Hilal concluded a five-year stay in which he became Villa’s most reliable source of goals. The striker admitted the move “wasn’t how I imagined my Aston Villa career to end,” a rare moment of vulnerability from a player who had just delivered 24 league goals last season. His departure leaves a significant void in Villa’s attacking output and forces Unai Emery into a reshuffle. The manager confirmed that new signings Johan Manzambi and Brian Madjo remain sidelined—Manzambi may need two weeks before match fitness, while Madjo is progressing but not yet ready—leaving Villa short of options up front.

Emery’s frustration was palpable when discussing Chelsea’s role in Villa’s transfer chaos. “They want to kill us and we want to kill them,” he said, framing the recent exchanges as purely transactional. Since 2022, Chelsea have paid Villa £163.5m for players, while Villa have spent £102.5m on Chelsea’s, including Axel Disasi’s loan fee. The latest instalment saw Emiliano Martínez join Chelsea for £22m, days after Nicolás Jackson arrived at Villa for £65m. Emery’s blunt assessment—”it’s not a good relationship, it’s a deal for money”—highlights how these moves have overshadowed Villa’s summer planning.

Harwood-Bellis arrives as Villa chase defensive stability

Villa acted swiftly to address their defensive concerns by signing a defender who underwent a medical on Friday. The new signing provides cover for the injured Ezri Konsa, who will make his Arsenal debut at Villa Park on Monday. Konsa’s return is a coup for Arsenal, who also face uncertainty over Jurrien Timber and William Saliba, but it leaves Villa without one of their most consistent performers. Emery’s admission that Tammy Abraham is still recovering from a minor knock further tightens the squad’s options.

Villa’s Champions League campaign begins against Viktoria Plzeň, a tie that demands squad depth. With Manzambi and Madjo unavailable, and Abraham sidelined, Emery may need to reshuffle his frontline or recall loanees. The urgency is clear: Villa cannot afford to start their European adventure with a threadbare attack.

The tactical puzzle: Emery’s midfield reshuffle

Watkins’ absence forces Emery to reconsider his favoured 4-3-3. The manager has experimented with a double pivot of Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara, but the loss of a natural finisher could push him toward a 4-2-3-1, with John McGinn or Leon Bailey operating as a creative hub. Bailey’s directness and McGinn’s box-to-box energy offer partial solutions, but neither replicates Watkins’ clinical finishing. The midfield trio of Luiz, Kamara, and either Youri Tielemans or Emiliano Buendía will need to compensate by controlling tempo and supplying chances.

Defensively, the new signing’s arrival strengthens Villa’s aerial presence and allows Konsa to slot into midfield if required. The defender’s ability to play out from the back could ease the pressure on Villa’s build-up play, a weakness exposed in last season’s Champions League campaign. Emery’s system relies on quick transitions, and the new defender’s composure under pressure will be crucial.

What comes next: fixtures, form, and the title race

Villa’s next test is a trip to Arsenal on Monday, where seven players—including Timber, Saliba, and Bruno Guimarães—are in doubt for the Gunners. The match is a chance to gauge Villa’s readiness without Watkins, but the Emirates Stadium remains a daunting venue. Emery’s side has started the season with a draw and a win, but the Champions League opener against Plzeň will be the real barometer. A positive result there could steady Villa’s nerves; a stumble would expose the cracks in their reshaped squad.

The transfer window may be closed, but Villa’s work is far from over. The Watkins saga has left emotional scars, while the Martínez deal has reignited tensions with Chelsea. Emery’s challenge now is to knit together a team capable of competing on three fronts. The next fortnight will reveal whether Villa’s summer gambles have paid off—or if the club has overreached in pursuit of progress.

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