Donyell Malen.Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
If this was the 2021 winter transfer window, then Aston Villa would have earned an A+++ grade. But it’s 2025, so the arrivals of Marco Asensio, Marcus Rashford and Donyell Malen register closer to a B (with a question mark next to it).
The former pair are nowhere near their best, but that doesn’t mean they can’t get somewhere close again. Malen, meanwhile, has never strayed far beyond the “useful” tag, but the Dutchman has shown some brightness in his two substitute appearances for the Villans so far.
Axel Disasi has moved to Villa Park on loan in a smart deal to bolster the backline, which has been depleted by Diego Carlos’ departure to Fenerbahce and Tyrone Mings’ injury setback.
But then we have the sale of Jhon Duran to consider. For a while, it looked like the Colombian would be the future of the West Midlanders’ attack. The 21-year-old scored 12 in 29 appearances (mostly coming from the bench) in all competitions, shaking out at a goal every 87 minutes.
The reported $88 million (£71 million) Villa bid from Al-Nassr was too much to turn down for a club flirting with financial fair play sanctions ahead of the 2024-25 season. Duran’s slightly volatile and mercurial nature probably tipped the scales in favor of “sell,” too, despite the electrifying performances he produced at Villa Park.
Loan exits for potential future stars and a healthy cash injection from the sale of academy graduate Jaden Philogene ($25 million/£20 million) rounded out a decent, albeit turbulent, window for Villa. This grade could get revised to an A come season’s end.
In: Marco Asensio (Paris Saint-Germain, loan), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United, loan), Donyell Malen (Borussia Dortmund), Axel Disasi (Chelsea, loan), Andres Garcia (Levante), Louie Barry (Stockport, recalled from loan)
Out: Jhon Duran (Al-Nassr), Lewis Dobbin (Norwich City, loan), Jaden Philogene (Ipswich), Diego Carlos (Fenerbahce), Louie Barry (Hull CIty, loan), Emiliano Buendia (Bayer Leverkusen, loan), Kosta Nedeljkovic (RB Leipzig, loan), Samuel Iling-Junior (Middlesbrough, loan), Sil Swinkels (Bristol Rovers, loan), Travis Patterson (MK Dons, loan)
