Five free transfers Aston Villa could sign to help Unai Emery’s Champions League quest

Even though the January transfer market ended last week, Aston Villa still has room to strengthen their roster.

In an effort to increase squad depth for the last stretch of the season, Unai Emery’s team completed the signing of Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough as they continued their pursuit of Champions League football.

It is unclear whether Villa can maintain their current position in fourth place to guarantee their participation in Europe’s top league the following season, as they are currently two points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in fifth place.

One option available to Emery is to look into the free agency market if he has any doubts about his team’s capacity to endure. There are a number of players who are currently unsigned that may be signed for free and added right away to the team

We have taken a look at some of the individuals currently available below.

Anwar El Ghazi

The former Villa player signed a contract with Mainz, a German team, in September, but his use of social media led to the termination of the agreement. El Ghazi, who is still only 28 years old, may be a flexible option for Emery to deploy and provide the team another offensive option to use off the bench in close games.

Xeka

A central midfielder by trade, Xeka enjoyed a five-year spell at Lille between 2017 and 2022 before signing for fellow French club Rennes in 2022. He left the latter by mutual consent in August and remains in search of a new employer. Xeka was impressively part of the Lille side that won the Ligue 1 title ahead of Paris Saint-Germain in 2020/21, making 33 league appearances that campaign. Villa could only benefit from owning a player with such experience under his belt, although the 29-year-old would recognise he would not be a regular starter.

Mamadou Sakho

Sakho had previously played for Liverpool for four years, during which time the French center back established himself as a mainstay in Jurgen Klopp’s squad. He would later make an impression at Selhurst Park when playing for Crystal Palace in the premier league for a similar length of time. Since then, he has played for Montpellier in his native nation for the past two years, although he left the team in November. Sakho was rumored to be in talks to sign with Amazonas, a second-tier Brazilian team, in January, but the deal fell through.

Diego Costa

The majority of Villa supporters will recall Diego Costa from his Premier League days. Before moving to Wolves in 2022, he originally relocated to England in 2015, having assisted Chelsea in winning the Premier League. After spending just one season at the latter, the attacker went back to Brazil, the place where his career started. He played with Botafogo for the second half of the league season, making 13 appearances and scored three goals, helping the team finish just six points off of first place.

Tariqe Fosu

a quick winger who has played most of his career in the EFL. Fosu began his career at Reading and then played League One for Oxford United and Charlton Athletic. After his £750,000 release clause was triggered in January 2020, the 28-year-old was able to transfer to Brentford. In his first full season with the team, he was instrumental in the Bees’ promotion to the Premier League. After Thomas Frank’s team’s appearances dried up, he was loaned to Rotherham United and Stoke City. Fosu, meantime, is still without a club after his Bentford contract expired in the summer.