Richard Dunne believes Villa could have challenged for the title without summer departures

Richard Dunne has suggested Aston Villa were close to mounting a serious Premier League title challenge this season before a wave of summer exits reshaped the squad. Speaking to Birmingham Live via Flashscore, the former centre-back argued that keeping the core group intact would have put the club in direct competition with Arsenal at the top of the table.

Instead, the transfer window brought significant upheaval. Youri Tielemans departed for Manchester United, while Ezri Konsa completed a move to Arsenal. Ollie Watkins headed to Al Hilal, Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea and Lucas Digne left for Paris Saint-Germain, meaning several established starters are no longer at Villa Park.

Unai Emery was supported by the club's owners, NSWE, in bringing through replacements before the window shut on 1 September. Nicolas Jackson arrived from Chelsea, Johan Manzambi came in from SC Freiburg and goalkeeper Zion Suzuki joined from Parma among other additions.

Dunne accepts that integrating so many new faces makes replicating last season's achievements difficult in the immediate term. He noted that the scale of the rebuild means matching the previous campaign's fourth-place league finish and European silverware will be a tall order this year.

Despite those concerns, the ex-defender expressed faith in Emery's ability to mould another competitive group. He pointed out that the manager understands the Premier League thoroughly and has already proved he can develop a successful team at the club.

Villa's early results reflect the transitional period. After beating Club Brugge away in the Champions League and defeating Coventry City in the League Cup, the team lost at home to Nottingham Forest before recovering to beat Tottenham Hotspur 3-2 in the league on 19 September.

With the window now closed until January 2027, Emery must work with his current options as the schedule intensifies. Brentford visit Villa Park on 10 October before Fenerbahçe arrive in the Champions League four days later.