Aston Villa

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans

Lee: Only one team wanted to win this game! Great effort from the Cherries - Alex Scott and James Hill were immense and Emiliano Martinez had to be at his best to keep Villa in the game. Great point and we move on to Everton on Tuesday!

Malcolm: Another top team performance from Andoni Iraola's boys. We have so much talent in the squad and all players are stepping up, including the newer signings. A win looked on the cards but Martinez's performance was top class. Happy days on the south coast.

Roger: A brilliant home debut and goal for Rayan. Given more time being coached by our brilliant manager Iraola, I think he could be better than Antoine Semenyo.

Paul: Very proud of Bournemouth. Time and time again, we push to win games rather than settle for the draw. Villa showed so much less ambition considering their title and Champions League aspirations. Also, I loved seeing the composure and elegance in the play of Scott, Hill and Lewis Cook. All three should be closely looked at for England duty.

Villa fans

Mossy: I think the Villa are in for a long, hard run-in. I really hope we can hang in there for a Champions League spot, but with Manchester United deciding they like their new manager and Chelsea pushing hard, let alone Liverpool, it's going to be very hard to stay in there. We've lost our drive and vision in John McGinn and Youri Tielemans, and our anchor in Boubacar Kamara. You just can't replace all three of them together. Thankfully we have Morgan Rogers up front doing everything he can to drag us home. A decent point, though, against a good team at their ground.

Martyn: This performance was another reality check. The fact is our squad just isn't good enough to maintain our lofty position and the big boys are about to take over the top spots. Fifth place is now a realistic target, which might be vital to retain the services of Unai Emery.

Prit: With the exception of fantastic games by Martinez and Rogers, Villa were not at the races and played like this was a pre-season match. Bournemouth wanted the match more and, in all fairness, deserved the win. Villa seem to have forgotten how to pass the ball to another player and the intensity we had before Christmas has simply evaporated.

Phil: Poor game management by Emery. Too defensive with Tyrone Mings and Lucas Digne starting. Slow to replace Ollie Watkins, who looks leggy. Please sell Leon Bailey and persist with Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott. Martinez saved the day more than once.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures and Friday's action.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Bournemouth 1-1 Aston Villa

• Arsenal 3-0 Sunderland

• Newcastle 2-3 Brentford

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery, speaking to BBC Sport: "The second half we couldn't [play how they wanted], they pushed us. They were in our box more times than we wanted. We tried to get some momentum to dominate. We created one chance with Matty Cash but they created more. It's a very good point.

"We defended fantastic. It's necessary to practice defending throw-ins and corners. A lot of duels. They are producing a lot of hands. We must fight."

On Jadon Sancho: "He's progressing. He's getting better. Hopefully he can help us more and more this season."

On Morgan Rogers: "Fantastic. He's doing a fantastic season. He was always pushing, helping. Everyone was feeling good playing with him."

Did you know?

• Only against Brighton in February 2021 (9) and against Liverpool in both July 2020 and April 2021 (8) has Villa's Emi Martinez made more saves in a Premier League game than his seven against Bournemouth.

Hear more from Emery on BBC Sounds

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa have been English champions seven times in their history, but not since 1980-81.

A run of eight successive wins in November and December left their fans dreaming of glory, with Villa being only three points off the top just after Christmas.

But head coach Unai Emery has consistently talked down his side's chances of winning the Premier League, last month saying they were not in contention to finish in the top five.

This failure to hold on to the three points at Bournemouth was further evidence that Emery's side, although still clearly on an upward trajectory, are not ready to sustain a serious push for the Premier League title.

Villa have now won two, drawn two and lost three of their past seven in the league, picking up eight points out of a possible 21.

Boosted by the return of England striker Ollie Watkins, who had missed the shock 1-0 home defeat by Brentford, Villa thought they had taken the lead, only for Watkins to be offside when tapping in from Morgan Rogers' square pass.

Villa did score two minutes later through Rogers, but they could not build on that and only managed four shots on target, compared to nine from the hosts.

The Cherries were the better side in the second half and fully deserved their point, which they secured through a fine solo goal from 19-year-old Rayan.

Martinez had to make seven saves to secure a hard-earned draw for Villa.

Champions League qualification is surely Villa's most realistic target now, with a top-five position in the Premier League likely to be enough for a return to the elite continental competition.

With 13 games to go, Villa are eight points clear of sixth-placed Liverpool, although the Reds have played one fewer match.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

What did you make of Aston Villa's display?

Come back on Sunday for a selection of your replies

Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Truffert, Cook, Hill, Senesi, Scott, Jimenez, Adli, Kroupi, Rayan, Evanilson.

Subs: Mandas, Milosavljevic, Dacosta, Smith, Diakite, Unal, Toth, Brooks, Christie.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Digne, Konsa, Mings, Cash, Onana, Luiz, Buendia, Sancho, Rogers, Watkins.

Subs: Bizot, Proctor, Lindelof, Torres, Barkley, Maatsen, Bogarde, Abraham, Bailey.

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Man Utd v Tottenham (12:30)

• Arsenal v Sunderland - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Bournemouth v Aston Villa - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Burnley v West Ham

• Fulham v Everton

• Wolves v Chelsea

• Newcastle v Brentford (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra with second half on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Bournemouth v Aston Villa" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Sunderland", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests.

His guest for week 25 is Gladiators star Apollo, real name Alex Gray, who supports Newcastle.

Sutton says: Losing back-to-back home league games against Everton and Brentford has been a real killer for Aston Villa, who have so many injuries to contend with in their midfield.

After a long wait for a win, Bournemouth have now won three of their past four league games - and I make them favourites at home here.

Villa thumped the Cherries 4-0 at Villa Park in November, and I have got a lot of their players in my Fantasy team, but this is going to be a very different game.

I've gone for 2-1 wins in my first two games and I don't really want to go for that scoreline again here, but I feel like I have no choice. I do think Villa will score - Morgan Rogers is always dangerous and Tammy Abraham is a clever signing up front - but Bournemouth will edge it.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Apollo's prediction: 1-2

AI's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

James Milner has been described as the "consummate professional" on BBC Radio 5 Live's The Commentators' View podcast, as he closes in on Gareth Barry's record for most appearances in the Premier League.

If Milner features for Brighton against Crystal Palace on Sunday, he will reach 653, the same number Barry finished with when he retired in 2020.

Speaking on the podcast, BBC senior football reporter Ian Dennis said: "I did spend a lot of time with him when I covered the England under-21s. There was a tournament in Holland in 2007 and then I remember him in Sweden in 2009 and spoke a lot to him when he was an England international at various England camps. And the way he has conducted himself, he is the model pro, isn't he? He is the consummate professional."

BBC commentator Alistair Bruce-Ball added: "The other thing when we're talking about being the consummate professional, 40 years old, he gets on for a minute or two at the end of that game [last weekend] and annoyingly when he's on, Everton equalise.

"You've got to do all the running after the game because you've only played a couple of minutes of football, but when you're in your 24th season of Premier League football, and you're still prepared to do all of that, that says something in itself."

BBC football correspondent John Murray touched on how much Milner will have had to look after himself to sustain the longevity he has had, saying: "It can't be a coincidence that he's kept himself fit over the years, which I think attests to himself being a professional. He's clearly had to look after himself to be able to do that."

Listen to the full podcast here

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist

Rejuvenated Bournemouth have won five of their past seven league games against top-three sides but they are winless in six matches against Saturday's high-flying visitors Aston Villa (15:00 GMT).

Villa won the reverse fixture 4-0 and are vying to complete their first league double over Bournemouth. Nonetheless, the Villans are experiencing a domestic dip in form, taking just seven points from six matches.

Kroupi becoming cornerstone of rebuilt Bournemouth

It has been a curious season so far for Bournemouth. They were second in the table after nine matches but then went 11 without a win before recovering to earn 10 points from their past four league fixtures.

Their recent upturn has come despite the £62.5m sale of Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City, who became the sixth key departure from the side which ended last season with a club record Premier League points total.

Amid the team rebuild, one player who has come to the fore is Junior Kroupi. Plucked a year ago from Lorient in the French second division, where he stayed on loan until last summer, the 19-year-old forward has steadily made himself indispensable.

Kroupi has been nominated for the Premier League's Player of the Month award for January, during which he scored three goals in five games – including a 20-yard strike against Arsenal and superb half-volley to put Bournemouth ahead at Wolves last weekend.

The £10m signing has made four Premier League starts in a row for the first time, playing as a support striker behind Evanilson, and his eight goals this season are the second most by a teenager in Europe's top five leagues behind Lamine Yamal of Barcelona.

Kroupi also has the best minutes-per-goal ratio of anyone to score more than once in the Premier League this term, as well as the best shot conversion rate – finding the net with 38% of his attempts on goal.

Misfiring Villa in need of an attacking spark

A run of three defeats in six league games, coupled with long-term injuries to three key midfielders, has perhaps recalibrated Aston Villa's credentials. Though being third in the table is certainly no fluke – Villa have consistently shown top-four form since Unai Emery's arrival in late 2022 – they are unable to match the star quality and squad depth of the teams around them.

They were excellent just a fortnight ago in beating Newcastle at St James' Park, but have now lost back-to-back home league games, latterly against 10-man Brentford.

The controversially disallowed goal for Tammy Abraham, back at the club for a second spell, last Sunday means Aston Villa have failed to score in three of their past four top-flight matches. Neither did they particularly trouble the opposition defence in any of those three games.

Emery predominantly brought in attacking players during the January transfer window, including recalling winger Leon Bailey from a loan spell at Roma, and he will be eager for them to redress a startling fact – Aston Villa are the only team without a Premier League goal this season from any of their 2025-26 signings.

Huzaifah Khan
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Emery confirmed Ollie Watkins is back training with the squad after his "small injury" last week.

• He said, despite the fact that Leon Bailey and Tammy Abraham are returning to the club, they will need to "adapt quick" to matches and get used to surroundings again.

• On what he makes of the state of his squad at the moment: "Good because we joined some players like we needed and some players left for different circumstances and when I am seeing the squad I can watch, we have good players to keep being demanding and to keep being consistent like we were before the transfer window with the players who joined."

• Emery was asked about the lack of availability from Amadou Onana who has played only 55 of 91 matches since he joined, and explained: "His potential is still there when he's playing ready and 100% his performances have been fantastic, and I think progressing a lot in a year and a half."

• He added: "The challenge he has and the challenge I have for him is being consistent and playing matches in a row and not getting injured."

• On whether his side are currently struggling due to the amount of matches they are having to play: "I prefer to play lots of matches, but when we can have some weeks free to work or recover some players after they have been injured is the circumstance that makes sense."

• On facing Bournemouth, Emery said: "The result they had at home, they lost 3-2 against Arsenal and they won 3-2 against Tottenham and 3-2 against Liverpool. Those three matches, five goals, winning two matches, losing one, this is the analysis we have. We've deeply analysed how we can get our best performance, but it will be very difficult."

Listen to commentary of the match from 14:55 GMT on Saturday on Sports Extra 2

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Neil Johnston
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Twenty-four years after making his debut, James Milner, 40, will equal the record for most Premier League appearances if he features for Brighton against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

A stellar career spanning more than two decades, six top-flight clubs, 652 Premier League appearances, 61 England caps, three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and one Champions League triumph has also delivered some unexpected moments.

Milner is set to go level with Gareth Barry, who played 653 times, at the top of the all-time Premier League appearance list some 8,491 days after making his debut for hometown club Leeds United soon after leaving school in 2002.

Milner was just 16 and earning £70 a week as a YTS player when he broke into the first team at Leeds, six months after taking his GCSE exams.

Milner signed for Newcastle in a deal worth £5m in 2005.

Alan Shearer, who played with Milner at Newcastle, describes him as a model professional and a "manager's dream".

"You would do well if you had him in your squad because you knew exactly what you were going to get," adds former England captain Shearer.

However, a year after signing, Milner was sent out on loan to Premier League rivals Aston Villa, with then Magpies boss Graeme Souness defending his decision at the time saying "you won't win the league with James Milners".

Milner had impressed on loan at Villa so much that in September 2006 they offered around £4m to sign him permanently but Newcastle pulled out of the deal at the 11th hour at the end of the transfer window and he would not get his permanent switch to Villa for another two years.

In 2020 he opted for the challenge of reviving Manchester City's fortunes and left five years later having helped them win two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup and one Community Shield.

"We won the Premier League together in 2012 but there were times that season when things were not going well," recalls former City defender Micah Richards.

"He was one of the people who kept everyone going."

After 147 top-flight appearances for City, he was ready for his next challenge.

Next stop...Liverpool, where he won the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Uefa Super Cup, Fifa Club World Cup and the Community Shield.

After Liverpool came an offer from Brighton in 2023 to prolong his top-flight career, where he continues to compete in what is his 24th Premier League season.

Milner became the Premier League's second-oldest goalscorer earlier this season and celebrated by recreating Diogo Jota's celebration in tribute to his former Liverpool team-mate, who died in a car crash last July.

"I've not scored [in the Premier League] for six years and I was wearing his number. Obviously, I've got help from the great man," said an emotional Milner after the match.

Image source, Google

Milner still remembers a conversation with veteran Leeds goalkeeper Nigel Martyn soon after breaking into the first team 24 years ago.

"He told me, 'Enjoy it while you can because it goes so fast'. I said, 'Leave it out, Nige, I'm 16!'

"And here we are in the blink of an eye - and I'm where he was."

Read more on Milner as he nears the Premier League record

Hannah Gowen
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

On paper, Aston Villa's owners have plenty of dry powder to throw at squad investment.

Yet still, another transfer window has gone by in which the club has had to juggle limited resources.

The past month has been plagued by injuries and Villa have been tasked with plugging gaps across the front two-thirds of the pitch. Two players left, another two came in. Two more got injured, one came in to cover. Papering over cracks springs to mind.

Unai Emery has typically always had a relatively small squad, meaning a few injuries quickly lead to things looking bare. It is hard to say that Villa are stronger now than in December as a decimated midfield weighs heavily on Emery's team selection and ability to rotate.

However, with minimal money to spend, the incoming and outgoing movements feel sensible and give a boost to both the dressing room and to fans, who have already welcomed the not-so-newbies warmly at Villa Park.

This business may have looked comical to outsiders, re-signing and recalling players from Villa years gone by. To those connected with the club, it makes perfect sense - limited risk and potentially great reward.

Donyell Malen and Evann Guessand made way for Leon Bailey and Tammy Abraham; two players who, at their best, added real quality for Villa. With goals drying up in the Premier League, the addition of two proven creative players could be key in the coming months.

Meanwhile, the injuries ruling out the heart of Villa's midfield resulted in the return of fan favourite Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian's appearance on Sunday against Brentford was a perfect example of how important he will be for the rest of this season - an engine in the midfield, and someone to rotate with an injury-prone Amadou Onana.

It may not be the most exciting window on paper, but adding players with a connection to the club, who can immediately immerse into the Emery universe, can only be a positive.

Find more from Hannah Gowen at UTV, external

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

Image source, Getty Images

After full-time on Sunday, you could feel that uneasy mood that hung over Aston Villa and their connections last August coming back, the general sense that the world was not quite giving them a square deal.

Like in August, you couldn't say that Villa were being cheated: the PSR regulations are what they are, and the ball probably was over the line, and all the way back there probably is where the attacking phase started - nothing personal, just rules.

But as they set off home, you could tell that the Villa collective were sensing the ground beneath them somehow tilting slightly uphill.

The fearsome look on Unai Emery's face as he left the playing area had softened by the time he arrived in the radio room 40 minutes later and the tone of his remarks was well-judged.

He gently protested against the disallowing of Tammy Abraham's goal – the words "not fair" made for an easy headline, but were part of the most polite of complaints – but his first thought was to congratulate Brentford on their outstandingly disciplined performance and he reminded all concerned that Villa being in third place at all remains a big deal.

Emery's tone is worth taking time to note because it is hard to think of another major club at present where the head coach is such a singular, totemic figure.

Managers are the most prominent public face and voice at most clubs now, but few are regarded with the reverence Emery inspires among Villa fans, players and staff.

This never lasts for ever – even Manchester City fans must soon contemplate a world after Pep Guardiola – and one could easily believe that Emery is so invested in his work that he is to some extent unaware of his own standing.

But players, when interviewed, frequently talk unprompted about his influence within the club, and fans take their cue from his mood. In Emery, they trust.

The Brentford defeat was of a different nature to the loss against Everton. Where they appeared short of energy a fortnight previously, this time they lacked guile to pick through the visitors' remarkably well-constructed defence.

A 10-man plan is seldom executed so well for so long as it was by Brentford, which was Villa's real misfortune.

Their response to the last setback, winning two demanding away fixtures in seven days, was impressive. This time the next task is equally difficult, to visit Bournemouth without being distracted by the pack behind them finally gathering momentum.

This working week, behind the gates of Bodymoor Heath, may therefore be the most important of the season to date.

Listen to full commentary of Bournemouth v Aston Villa at 3pm on Saturday on BBC Radio WM [95.6FM]

And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

Explore Aston Villa content on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott's future at Aston Villa has been in doubt since Villa boss Unai Emery decided he did not want to make his move from Anfield permanent, but he is now expected to remain at Villa Park at least until the end of the season.

Elliott is now three appearances away from triggering a transfer worth £35m after initially joining on loan in the summer.

"The way I see it is that Villa don't want him, to be brutally honest," former Birmingham and Walsall midfielder Martin O'Connor told BBC Radio WM.

"With the terms of the deal, I don't think they fancy him or else he would have been in the team by now.

"Obviously Villa are doing really well this season, I don't think Liverpool really fancy him because they've loaned him out, so he's in that precarious position where neither side really wants him."

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton on Aston Villa's recent dip in form: "You think about Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, Youri Tielemans - three good players in their own right, but more importantly the way they have performed this season.

"They have been absolutely outstanding, the three of them, so I'm not sure if any team could cope with losing all three in the engine room.

"Ollie Watkins hasn't had a great season. I never understood letting Donyell Malen go. They could have held on and it's these details. It's hard enough to keep up with Arsenal as it is but these fine details are the difference between winning a league or finishing third.

"Villa, in the main, have coped well with Europe and they have a pretty strong bench but the Everton loss and then again against Brentford would have been sickening."

The Observer's Rory Smith added: "It's difficult to build the strength of Arsenal in a few years. Villa are getting there. They have not been a Champions League club for X number of years, they don't pay the wages other teams do.

"Villa are massively ahead of their curve, they are further ahead than they should be, they are still overperforming. Third in the Premier League is incredible. Because they have got so close makes it so frustrating."

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Boss Unai Emery had seemed more frayed this month, the stress of the window and Aston Villa's financial restrictions appeared to be wearing on him.

That was added to the Premier League pressure with Villa losing successive home league games for the first time in two years.

It may have been a relief, then, that Villa's window ended quietly with a few young loans out- Samuel Iling Jr leaving on loan for Pisa after his spell at West Bromwich Albion was cut short and Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba replacing him at The Hawthorns for the second half of the season.

Villa's dealings were essentially done and signing Tammy Abraham for £18.25m should represent good business given they get a 28-year-old England international returning with excellent experience picked up at Roma, AC Milan and Besiktas.

Douglas Luiz slots back in out of necessity following the season-ending injury to Boubacar Kamara while Harvey Elliott has come in from the cold and Leon Bailey was given a surprise recall from his loan at Roma.

All of those point to Villa needing the bodies, with Bailey's recall not planned at the start of the month.

Villa have done what they can with what they have but it still feels like they are one more injury - to Morgan Rogers for instance - away from being in real trouble.

So it may not be a surprise Emery has seemed a little more strained than usual as he tries to guide Villa back to the Champions League and end a 30-year trophy drought.

Aston Villa have done the following business on deadline day:

• Stockport County have re-signed forward Louie Barry from Aston Villa for his third loan spell with the League One club.

• Winger Samuel Iling Junior has been recalled from his loan spell at Championship side West Bromwich Albion and loaned straight out to Serie A club Pisa until the end of the campaign.

• Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba has joined West Bromwich Albion on loan until the end of the season.

• Villa winger Kadan Young has joined Reading on loan until the end of the season.

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Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa's Samuel Iling Junior has cut short his loan at West Bromwich Albion to move to Pisa in Serie A.

The winger has spent the first half of the season at the Baggies in the Championship.

He scored once in 24 games but now moves to Pisa to help them in their relegation fight with the club second bottom of Serie A.

Iling Junior has previously played for Juventus and Bologna in Italy.

The Baggies - 21st and three points above the Championship relegation zone - have replaced him with Aston Villa team-mate Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba.

Preston were also keen to take the 19-year-old on loan but Jimoh-Aloba wants to help the Baggies' relegation fight and has opted to return to the club over North End, while Leicester City also enquired.

Attacker Jimoh-Aloba came through the academy at The Hawthorns before moving to Villa in 2023.

He made his Premier League debut last month and scored Villa's winner in the 3-2 comeback victory over Red Bull Salzburg in the Europa League last week.

Watch Total Sport's transfer deadline day special for West Midlands clubs, focusing on the business done by Aston Villa and Wolves, plus the region's EFL sides.

The show, which runs from 18:00-20:00 GMT, will offer the latest updates and analysis on your team's transfer business.

Watch it here