Aston Villa concluded their summer recruitment by bringing in Ibrahim Mbaye and Taylor Harwood-Bellis before the transfer window shut on 1 September, according to Birmingham Live. The publication stated that both deals were finalised on deadline day as Unai Emery moved to reshape his squad following significant player turnover.
Mbaye, described as a teenage winger, reportedly joined from Paris Saint-Germain in a £47million transaction. Harwood-Bellis, noted as a defender with a single England cap, is said to have arrived from Championship side Southampton for £25million. Those two acquisitions pushed the club’s overall summer expenditure beyond £253million, Birmingham Live claimed.
The outlet placed the arrivals within a broader context of upheaval at Villa Park. Six players who started last season’s Europa League Final are reported to have left for rival clubs during the window, prompting an extensive rebuilding effort under Emery.
Eight other recruits were named by the publication as having already joined before the final day. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Leon Goretzka were among the experienced additions listed, alongside younger talents such as Zion Suzuki and Matteo Ruggeri.
Birmingham Live also identified Alejandro Garnacho, Joao Gomes, Nicolas Jackson and Johan Manzambi as further signings completed earlier in the window. Together with the deadline-day duo, those ten arrivals represented a wholesale refresh of the playing staff.
With the summer window now closed until 1 January 2027, no further Premier League registrations can be processed for several months. Villa will therefore head into the autumn campaign with the squad assembled over the past few weeks.
