Aston Villa are still celebrating their extraordinary return to title-winning heights, having dispatched Freiburg 3-0 to lift the Europa League trophy last month.
This is the pinnacle – so far. It would be very Unai Emery for Villa to recalibrate and head on toward even loftier heights after the summer break. They will, after all, be heading back into the Champions League.
Aston Villa are now in a position whereby the biggest talents in Europe will flock to Villa Park. This is one of the most exciting and efficient projects around, but even so, Morgan Rogers has thrown a spanner in the works by taking steps toward a summer sale.
How Aston Villa plan to replace Morgan Rogers
Rogers has been Aston Villa’s talisman this season. Ollie Watkins came into his own during the latter stages, vitally so, but Rogers has been the heartbeat of Emery’s title charge from the get-go.
Arsenal have a confirmed interest in bringing Rogers over to the Emirates this summer, but NSWE will not let him leave for anything south of £80m. This gives the Midlands side plenty to play with, especially when considering the windfall from winning the Europa League.
If Villa do sell him, though, they cannot afford to stumble having reached this envious position. That is to say, Rogers’ replacement needs to provide Emery with bang for his buck.
According to Sports Boom, Emery is ready to make a ‘massive’ offer in a bid to complete a move for Real Sociedad’s Ander Barrenetxea this summer.
The 24-year-old has a €75m (£66m) release clause in his contract, and his employers want that paid in full. Considering this, Barrenetxea would only arrive at Villa Park for a sum far outweighing the £50m that was paid to Everton for Amadou Onana back in 2024, Aston Villa’s transfer record.
Why Barrenetxea can replace Rogers at Aston Villa
Barrenetxea scored the winning goal in the Copa del Rey final this season, securing silverware for Real Sociedad at Atletico Madrid’s expense.
The Spain international is not as notable an attacking force as Rogers right now, but that certainly doesn’t mean he’s not going to scratch the same surface with a couple of tweaks – especially when considering the gains that could be made within Emery’s tactical set-up.
|
League Form Comparison (2025/26) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (* per 90) |
Rogers |
Barrenetxea |
|
Matches (starts) |
37 (37) |
30 (22) |
|
Goals + Assists |
10 + 6 |
3 + 5 |
|
Touches* |
48.8 |
41.5 |
|
Accurate passes* |
21.5 (75%) |
19.4 (80%) |
|
Big chances created |
13 |
11 |
|
Key passes* |
1.3 |
1.5 |
|
Possession lost* |
16.7 |
12.9 |
|
Succ. dribbles* |
1.1 |
1.8 |
|
Ball recoveries* |
3.8 |
3.6 |
|
Tackles + interceptions* |
1.5 |
1.5 |
|
Duels won* |
4.3 |
4.1 |
Rogers scored ten goals and provided six assists in the Premier League; Barrenetxea managed only a slice of that in Spain, three goals and five La Liga assists. Still, that’s not the be-all and end-all.
The underlying metrics speak highly of Barrentxea, with notable similarities against Rogers’ style of play. Both are combative and naturally creative players, powerful dribblers and crisp on the ball.
The Spaniard might not be as accomplished, nor prolific, as Rogers, but he has the potential to become a star at Aston Villa, dovetailing into Emery’s world and joining so many others in going from strength to strength.
He is fast, powerful and dynamic. Typically coming off the left wing, he can switch it up when need be. This is all to say that Barrenetxea has the potential to become a superstar, and he is worth paying for.
Rogers has grown into one of the Premier League’s standout attacking midfielders over the past few years, but his head has been turned by a few of Europe’s elite, and given the staggering sum that NSWE could bank, it may, sadly, be one that comes to pass this summer.
It will be a rueful day for the Villan persuasion, but if they sign someone as talented as Barrenetxea, things will work out.
Dream Rogers replacement: Aston Villa enter talks to sign £35m attacker
Aston Villa could be about to land a top-level attacker to replace Morgan Rogers this summer.