Aston Villa players who have caught the eye this season

Aston Villa is having an amazing season in the Premier League as they look to replace Newcastle United in the top four.

Weeks into the season, we wondered if they could replicate Leicester City’s success in the 2015/2016 campaign and win the Premier League this term.

Unai Emery is one of the lovable managers in European football because of his work with smaller clubs.

The Spaniard is a career underdog who thrives on exceeding expectations at smaller clubs.

From Almeria to Villarreal, he has a record of helping unfancied teams challenge for European spots and could take Aston Villa to the Champions League at the end of this campaign.

The Spanish gaffer got the perfect job when he moved to Villa because their owners are some of the most ambitious people in football.

He has been backed with some fine signings to make his job easier, and Emery has worked magic to keep Villa in the title race and inside the top four this term.

On current form, Aston Villa ticket buyers are confident that Champions League football will return to Villa Park at the end of this season.

However, who are the players that have stood out for the Villans in this superb campaign?

Emiliano Martinez

Signing Martinez from Arsenal in 2020 is one of the best transfer decisions Villa has made for decades, and he is one of the reasons they are in the running for a top four place.

The Argentinian is a world-class goalkeeper who has helped his country to win Copa America and the World Cup.

Several clubs would happily snap him up, but Martinez is loving life at Villa, and his fine form means Villa has a chance to make the top four.

He may not score goals from his position, but he surely keeps them out, which could be more important than scoring in some games.

If he stays for a few more years and Villa continues their rise, they could be English champions because of him in goal. 

Matty Cash

Cash has been a superb signing for Villa since he joined the club from Nottingham Forest in 2020.

The Poland international is one of the best right backs in the Premier League at the moment and continues to deliver top class performances in that role for them.

Emery loves to have marauding full backs, and he has been more than good enough in that role, which is why the club has not considered signing a better player.

In the summer, there could be interest in his signature, but unless the fee is too good to turn down or the offer comes from a European heavyweight, we expect Villa to keep Cash in their squad.

Ezri Konsa

Konsa has been so good this year that he earned a call up to the England national team, which is not a small feat.

The Centre-back has consistently been one of the most underrated defenders in the Premier League, but as Villa climbs up on the league table, he is now being noticed.

At 26, he still has much of his career ahead of him, and we expect him to remain a key figure in the Villa team.

They have signed foreign players like Pau Torres and Diego Carlos in recent seasons, but Konsa has remained one of their most important players.

That will likely be the case for a long time, and he will be eager to be in the England squad for Euro 2024.

Pau Torres

Torres shocked most football fans when he moved from Villarreal to Villa despite interest from some of the top clubs in Europe.

The Spaniard has been one of the best defenders from his country in a long time and won the Europa League with Villarreal in 2021.

Several clubs wanted Torres, including Juventus of Italy, but he chose to join Emery at Villa, knowing he is a manager that has helped his career a lot.

That has proven to be a smart decision because the defender is now thriving in the Premier League.

He is one of the players Villa should expect to attract a lot of suitors when the transfer window reopen in the summer, but they must fight to keep him if they want to keep making progress.

Douglas Luiz

Only a few Villa players have been as outstanding as Douglas Luiz this season.

The former Manchester City man is showing why Arsenal wanted to sign him in the summer of 2022.

He has been a key cog in the wheel for Emery’s men, and without him in this team, it will struggle.

Luiz breaks up play and creates chances, while scoring some important goals. If this is not his best season, then Villa will be guaranteed success in the long term if he remains in their books. After 31 competitive games this term, he already has seven goals and seven assists, which is remarkable for a midfielder.

John McGinn

The only reason John McGinn will attract little interest from top Premier League clubs in the summer is because he is already 29 and heading into his 30s.

It is baffling that top clubs have overlooked him for a long time, but their loss is Villa’s gain, and McGinn has been superb.

The Scotsman has developed a fine reputation as one of the hardest-working midfielders in the Premier League, and he captains them very well.

Emery will consider him one of the most important players in his team, and we expect McGinn to be with them for much of his career, if not for the rest of it.

His fitness level is one of the key reasons he has stayed prominent at Villa, as the midfielder is rarely injured.

This is a real asset and makes it easy for him to lead the boys out on the pitch in most matches.

Jhon Duran

When the likes of Chelsea want to add you to their squad, everyone has to be curious about how good you are.

That is the story for Villa striker Duran as he shines for the Villans in the few chances he gets to play.

Ollie Watkins is the main striker at Villa Park, and Duran has been limited to only a few minutes on the pitch, but whenever he plays, his movement and all around show gives him away as a fine player in the making.

He might need a loan move to show how good he is, or the Villans could alter their system to accommodate him and Watkins in their lineup.

This will make it easier for Duran to make more contributions to their team.

Ollie Watkins

Watkins seems to have reached a new level following the arrival of Emery at Villa Park and has been one of the leading scorers in the Premier League.

Because of his age, it will be easy for Villa to keep the England striker in their squad for a long time as he is no longer a young player.

This will bring some guarantee of success because Watkins seems to be in his prime now after scoring nine goals and providing eight assists from his first 21 Premier League games this term.

If he can score the same number of goals in this second half of the term, Villa should finish in a comfortably impressive league position.