Aston Villa completed the signings of Ibrahim Mbaye and Taylor Harwood-Bellis on deadline day, with Unai Emery confident that the club’s radical summer overhaul has left Villa in position to replicate their recent success. Villa, who have lost both of their Premier League games this campaign, have qualified for the Champions League in two of the past three seasons and won their first major trophy in 30 years after lifting the Europa League.
The £47m arrival of the 18-year-old winger Mbaye from Paris Saint-Germain and £25m deal for Harwood-Bellis from Southampton represented Villa’s ninth and 10th summer signings respectively. Villa had generated more than £300m from the sales of nine players, six of whom started the Europa League triumph in Istanbul in May: Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne and Emiliano Martínez all departed Villa Park in recent weeks, Rogers and Martinez joining Chelsea.
