Aston Villa’s summer of uncertainty is not ideal preparation for a new Premier League season

Aston Villa’s transfer team are used to thinking on their feet.

A product of a volatile market, influenced by the seemingly perennial concern of having to comply with profit and sustainability rules (PSR), staff members often stress the need to be proactive in seeking targets for a time when Villa, invariably, become reactive to replace players who have just left.

Best-laid plans forged in May can change over the summer months. Initially, Villa wanted a right-footed centre-back, right-back, winger and forward. Money needs to be raised from outgoings to plug those gaps, especially if they are breaching UEFA’s squad cost rules (SCR), which are even stricter than the Premier League’s PSR.

The only genuine pursuit has been for Toulouse centre-back Jaydee Canvot, with the first formal approach rejected.

Players and staff accept that Unai Emery’s squad needs a refresh, but even if selling the women’s team has placated the threat of PSR, Villa need to cut their wage bill below 70 per cent of overall revenue to comply with UEFA’s rules. There has been a degree of surprise among staff, who spoke to The Athletic under the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, at the lack of activity, but no marquee departures are imminent.

Ideally, Villa would have strengthened at right-back over the previous three windows, providing competition for Matty Cash and sharing his workload. High salaries at left-back, especially with Ian Maatsen and Lucas Digne competing for the spot last year, meant they simply did not have the monetary comfort.

Villa have only made one senior signing — backup goalkeeper Marco Bizot. Rumours arise daily about potential incomings, most of which are swiftly knocked down and dismissed.

For example, if Villa had successfully offloaded Leon Bailey, they would have likely signed another winger by now. They liked Real Betis’ Jesus Rodriguez but were never truly in the race. In the end, Rodriguez joined Como.