New signing, McGinn unlocked - Aston Villa's dream midfield after double transfer

Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara were a formidable duo for Aston Villa and one of the best midfield partnerships the club has had in the Premier League era.

When Kamara went down clutching his knee in Villa's 2-1 defeat against Manchester United, little did we know that'd be the last game he'd play alongside Luiz. Last season, they started all but one of the club's first 16 games, which ended with a 1-0 win over Arsenal, putting Villa within two points of the top of the league.

In those 16 games, Villa won 11 and lost only three, scoring 35 goals and often dominated their opponents because of their strength in midfield. When Villa line-up against West Ham on the opening day of next season, they'll have neither Luiz (sold) or Kamara (injury), while Unai Emery has already signed two new midfielders in the opening days of the summer transfer window.

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Enzo Barrenechea joined Villa for less than £7m this week and fits the bill to play as an understudy to Kamara, but the French midfielder will be ruled out for the first months of the season due to that knee injury he suffered back in February against United.

Emery will take a good look at Barrenechea over the seven pre-season games Villa play in the next six weeks as the 23-year-old has only played one season in senior football, while on loan at Frosinone last term. He impressed Eusebio Di Francesco and even drew comparisons to Rodri, Busquets and Rijkaard by the manager and club president.

Fans will have to be patient with Barrenechea as he will likely need a period of adaptation to acclimatise to Premier League football, just like Luiz did back in 2019. Just look at the player he has become.

Under Emery, Luiz played alongside Kamara, but with freedom to move forward and get involved in attacks. That's a role which Youri Tielemans and Ross Barkley are capable of flourishing in too.

Barkley operated in a deeper role at Luton last season, which brought the best out of him. He recorded more passes and carries into the final third, take-ons, switches, interceptions and won more aerial duels than Luiz and Tielemans last season.

Meanwhile, John McGinn plays his best football in a more advanced role, supporting Ollie Watkins. But the beauty of Emery's midfield options in McGinn, Barkley and Tielemans, is that they are all versatile and are capable of doing a job in a double pivot or as a support act behind Watkins, combining with the right and left midfielders. Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Rogers, Emi Buendia, Moussa Diaby and Leon Bailey are all exciting options on the flanks.

Villa prepared for Luiz's exit more than a year ago by evaluating their squad, looking at what players are untouchable, contract lengths and the age of certain players. It's why the club's recruitment team were delighted to land Tielemans on a free last summer, before then moving quickly to secure Barkley for just £5m following Luton's relegation.

Luiz had just two years left on his deal and had reached his peak value as a result. But despite the frustration of having to sell a key player, some forward thinking and smart dealing has actually seen Villa equip themselves with two top players in the same area of the field and a huge chunk of cash.

Villa have so far banked around £70m from three sales, being Luiz to Juventus, Tim Iroegbunam to Everton and Omari Kellyman to Chelsea. Luiz's £42m move to the Italian giants put Villa in the clear regarding Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), and while Villa will continue to spend this summer, they will still need to be mindful of how much they splash.

Emery has some excellent midfield options, but Villa are still in the market to add to this area of the pitch. Conor Gallagher is known to be a key target, while Everton's Amadou Onana is also of interest.

Chelsea want £50m for Gallagher, who has 12 months left of his contract at Stamford Bridge. If Villa were to get that deal over the line, he'd be another player in Emery's squad who could play in a double pivot or in advanced role.

A new midfielder, plus Barkley, Tielemans, McGinn, Barrenechea and Kamara would give Emery serious strength in depth to fill a double pivot plus an advanced role, which Buendia, Ramsey, Diaby, Bailey and Rogers could all also fill.

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