Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has made some superb signings since arriving in the Midlands nearly two years ago, which has helped power the club to the Champions League.
Players such as Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen and Moussa Diaby certainly signalled a major statement of intent by the Villa Park side.
The Spaniard wasn’t the only one to make excellent signings, however, as Dean Smith managed to acquire some wonderful players during his time in charge of the club.
One that stands out is Emiliano Martinez, who joined in September 2020.
How much Aston Villa paid to sign Emiliano Martinez
The goalkeeper cost just £17m four years ago, making the move north in order to gain more first-team opportunities at Villa.
Since then, he has made over 150 competitive appearances for the club, leading them to the promised land of the Champions League.
His form has also earned him international recognition, as he starred for Argentina in their three major tournament victories over the previous three years – the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 World Cup and the 2024 Copa América.
It doesn’t look like Emery will replace him anytime soon, as he is a solid choice for the club between the sticks.
According to Transfermarkt, his valuation currently stands at €28m (£23.5m), which means Emery could make a profit should he sell him in the near future.
He isn’t the only Smith signing who has seen their valuation increase since moving to Villa, as Ezri Konsa is now worth much more than what they paid for him.
Ezri Konsa’s market value at Aston Villa
Having secured promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs in 2019, Smith spent that summer significantly bolstering his squad for the rigours of the top flight that lay ahead.
This saw Konsa join from Brentford for a fee of just £12m, which looked like a bargain given his vast potential to develop.
Smith later described the defender as a “Rolls Royce of a player” midway through last season, but in 2019, he was untested at Premier League level.
Over the next five campaigns, however, Konsa missed just 27 matches in the Premier League, becoming a regular under the likes of Smith, Steven Gerrard and now Emery.
Metric (per 90)
Premier League
Conference League
Accurate passes
51.4
62.9
Tackles
1.5
1
Interceptions
0.8
0.3
Ball recoveries
4.1
4
Possession lost
6.8
5.5
He even ranked third in the squad for accurate passes per game in the top flight last season, while also ranking third for interceptions and fifth for tackles per game, showcasing his defensive skills.
At the time of writing, his current valuation, according to Transfermarkt, stands at €35m (£29.5m), which is more than double what the club paid to sign him five years ago.
Indeed, this is also worth more than Martinez’s valuation, proving that Smith certainly hit the jackpot with the in-form defender who played for England at Euro 2024.
If Emery can make a few more signings like this, he will be able to generate millions in profit over the coming years.
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1 ByEthan LambSep 5, 2024