Aston Villa have had a memorable year so far, with the majority of their recent success down to the influence of manager Unai Emery.
The Spaniard arrived at Villa Park in October 2022 following the dismissal of Steven Gerrard, and has made his mark on the club in such a short period of time, telling of the highs that could still come for the Villans.
The Midlands club were sat in 16th place at the time of his arrival, ending the season with a spot in the Europa Conference league, marking their first European involvement since 2010.
Away from the pitch, the former Arsenal boss has had a terrific spell too, welcoming five new faces to his squad in the bid to bolster the quality on show for the season ahead.
While Emery and Monchi recorded a particularly successful transfer window, things have not always worked out for Villa’s signings in the past, with one name even linked with a Villa Park reunion this summer.
How much did Aston Villa spend on Adama Traore?
Purchased from Barcelona in 2015, teenage sensation Adama Traore was captured by Tim Sherwood for a figure of £7.1m, rumoured to rise to £8.6m if certain conditions were met.
The winger earned a weekly wage of £22.5k at Villa Park, with a yearly salary amounting to £1.1m, in a transfer that had those in the Midlands excited about what was to come.
At the time of his unveiling, Sherwood lauded his new signing as a “maverick-type” talent and labelled his ability with reference to other talents as being “few and far between”.
A year after his arrival, the Spaniard bid farewell to Villa after making little impact on the side, in a move that cost the club almost £9m when considering his transfer and wage fees in the period.
Was he worth that much?
The summer after his arrival, Traore left Villa after making just 12 appearances for the side during the season that saw them relegated from the top flight.
In that period, the Spaniard scored once in the League Cup, falling out of favour with new manager Remi Garde who branded the winger as a “problem” for his inability to stick to tactical demands and remain consistent in his performance.
His 12 appearances over his year stay amounted to Villa paying him around £91k per game, to which he made no impact and subsequently left Villa Park so shortly after his arrival.
Adama Traore Premier League record
Season
Club
Apps
Goals
Assists
2015/16
Aston Villa
10
0
2
2016/17
Wolves
27
0
1
2018/19
Wolves
29
1
1
2019/20
Wolves
37
4
9
2020/21
Wolves
37
2
3
2021/22
Wolves
20
1
0
2022/23
Wolves
34
2
2
2023/24 tbc
Fulham
3
0
0
All figures via Transfermarkt
This summer, it was rumoured that Villa were eyeing a move to bring the former Barcelona talent back to the club after his contract with Wolves expired, however the 27-year-old opted for Fulham instead.
Following his exit from the claret and blues, Traore went on to make 197 appearances in the Premier League, and counting, however has only netted 10 goals during that time, telling of Villa’s correct decision to sell him.
Poor discipline and inconsistency drove the Midlands side to no option but to offload him, in what was a smart move with the player described as the “most frustrating player a manager could have” by Jason Cundy on talkSPORT earlier this year.
While the Spaniard cost Villa a hefty amount with regard to his contribution, the Villans will be reassured of their decision to sell him at the time to ensure he didn’t rinse the club any further.