Aston Villa begin their 2026/27 Premier League campaign this afternoon with a trip to the South Coast, facing Brighton at the Amex Stadium. Unai Emery's side have undergone a significant rebuild during the summer transfer window, following the departures of several first-team regulars.
The club have said goodbye to Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne and Ezri Konsa this summer, while Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez could also leave before the window closes. That has prompted a major recruitment drive at Villa Park.
Seven New Signings Expected
Johan Manzambi, João Gomes and Alejandro Garnacho were the first arrivals through the door, with Matteo Ruggeri, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and goalkeeper Zion Suzuki following. Leon Goretzka is now expected to become the seventh signing of the summer, with talks also ongoing over the recruitment of Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
Villa played eight matches in pre-season, including the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain. They recorded victories over Walsall, Indonesia All Stars and BG Pathum during their preparations.
Brighton's Own Transfer Activity
Brighton, meanwhile, drew 0-0 against Tromso in Conference League qualifying on Thursday night. The Seagulls have also been busy in the market, bringing in Luka Vušković, Zadok Yohanna, Pascal Struijk, Costinha, Michael Svoboda, Rodrigo Rêgo and Promise David.
They have sold Jan Paul van Hecke, Carl Rushworth, Diego Coppola and Danny Welbeck this summer.
Live Coverage from the Amex
BirminghamLive's Aston Villa correspondent John Townley is at the Amex Stadium bringing updates and goal alerts throughout the afternoon. Stay with us for all the action as Villa look to get their new campaign off to a winning start.
