Aston Villa‘s midfield ranks will look very different next season compared to the 2025/26 campaign.
Indeed, the breaking news of Morgan Rogers moving onto Chelsea in a blockbuster £117m move has now filtered through, with the England international leaving Unai Emery‘s men behind to lead the new Xabi Alonso revolution at Stamford Bridge, having collected 17 goals and assists in the Premier League last season.
Alongside Rogers departing, Villa will have to make do without Amadou Onana for the foreseeable future, as he sadly ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament at the 2026 World Cup with Belgium, meaning his dream tournament turned into an unfortunate nightmare.
The Midlands giants will be priortising midfield signings this summer, therefore, with Johan Manzambi already joining Emery’s camp for a club-record £59.5m move to soften the blow of Rogers’ exit.
They aren’t done here, however, as a short-term Onana replacement is now hunted down…
Aston Villa holding talks to sign Onana replacement
The injury-stricken Belgian was a key part of the Villans squad last season that ended up going all the way in the Europa League.
Making 38 appearances in all competitions, he scored two goals along the way, while also winning a lively 4.9 total duels per Premier League clash.
Therefore, the loss of Onana for around the six to nine month range – as is the usual setback for an ACL injury – is a devastating one to stomach.
This horrible blow can be softened somewhat by Villa going after Bayern Munich midfield anchor João Palhinha, who has vast Premier League experience under his belt for both Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham.
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Birmingham Live journalist John Townley – who reports specifically on Emery and Co – took to social media this weekend to reveal that the Europa League holders have held talks with the Bavarian titans over a loan deal taking place this summer, with Joao Gomes also set to join from Wolverhampton Wanderers to further bolster the midfield ranks.
While Gomes always enters the pitch with a tenacity that is similar to Onana’s, he doesn’t consistently line up in a defensive midfield spot, with the incoming £38m signing more well equipped to join in with attacks with Manzambi.
In stark contrast, his Portuguese counterpart thrives playing in this anchor role, as a perfect brief replacement for the former Everton man arrives.
Why Palhinha could could perfectly fill in for Onana
The loan acquisition of Palhinha might not instantly stick out as a jaw-dropping signing if you’re of a Villa persuasion, next to the big bucks being splashed out on Gomes and Manzambi.
But, in terms of winning a perfect stand-in option for Onana, the one-time Spurs loanee ticks many a box, with Palhinha capable of a long-range bullet, just like his injured peer, with five top-flight goals collected last season in north London, even as the Premier League giants appeared often rudderless in their mission to beat the drop.
A further seven Premier League goals would be collected by the Lisbon-battler on the books of Fulham with Onana boasting eight top-flight strikes comparatively.
Away from being able to strike fear into opponents with a magical strike from nothing, much like Onana, the experienced 31-year-old is also very similar to 33-time Belgium international in terms of winning duels and tackles for fun, when looking at their league numbers last campaign side-by-side.
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Palhinha vs Onana: 2025/26 Premier League |
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|---|---|---|
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Stats per 90 minutes |
Palhinha |
Onana |
|
Tackles* |
3.3 |
1.9 |
|
Ball recoveries* |
2.8 |
2.9 |
|
Clearances* |
1.8 |
2.4 |
|
Total duels won* |
5.8 |
4.9 |
Indeed, an energetic 3.3 tackles would be won per Premier League clash by Palhinha as he fought hard to keep Spurs from succumbing to relegation, alongside 5.8 duels also being valiantly won.
In stark contrast, 1.9 tackles were won by Onana, with a lesser total of 4.9 duels also earned, with Palhinha’s eagerness to get stuck in seeing him be hailed as a “monster” centrally by analyst Marcus Bring.
It remains to be seen whether Villa would go out of their way to make the 31-year-old’s deal permanent down the line.
But, as a short-term fix to Onana’s injury woes, this feels like an inspired temporary move to sign off on, as a new-look Villa midfield prepares to take to the field next month against Brighton and Hove Albion in the opening clash of the 2026/27 Premier League campaign.
