Will Aston Villa be a threat to Arsenal’s European hunt next season?

Philippe Coutinho

Will Aston Villa be a threat to Arsenal’s European hunt next season? 

By James Reid

For a while it felt as if the so-called top six were impenetrable in the Premier League. 

However, recent seasons have seen a group of clubs launch an assault on that idea, with the likes of Leicester City and West Ham qualifying for Europe and posing a considerable threat to the prevailing orthodoxy. 

While the gap between the top two and everyone else feels to be getting bigger, there are a number of clubs closing the gap between sixth and mid-table. 

One of those clubs could well be Aston Villa. While the midlands side had a disappointing 2021/22 season, they showed plenty of promise at times under new manager Steven Gerrard and will certainly be looking to improve on their 14th-placed finish. 

Many fancied Villa to threaten the European places last season after recruiting well having sold Jack Grealish but it never really came together. 

Nevertheless, there is undoubtedly a good squad at Villa Park and, with the right additions, the question will be whether Gerrard’s men can challenge for the European places and cause Arsenal some difficulties. 


Can Villa challenge? 

That is the big question for those in claret and blue.

There was plenty of hope around the club this time last year that Villa could threaten the top six for the first time since a sixth-place finish under Martin O’Neill in 2010. 

The signings of Danny Ings, Leon Bailey, Emi Buendia, and Lucas Digne were all positive and exciting in the wake of Grealish’s departure, while others such as Ollie Watkins and Matty Cash proved themselves as Premier League players. 

It was a disappointing season at Villa Park even with the addition of Coutinho in January, but there were a few signs towards the end of the season that a better season may be on the cards next year. 


Could they be a threat to Arsenal? 

While Villa may mount a better challenge for the European places next year, it is likely that this will be the Europa League or Europa Conference League at best. 

A sixth or seventh-place finish feels within the reach of Gerrard’s side, but Champions League football seems a step too far for a side that has only shown fleeting potential thus far. 

For Arsenal, Europa League must be the absolute minimum in a season where qualifying for the Champions League is the ultimate goal after far too long away from Europe’s top table. 

Thus, while Villa may threaten the European places, it feels unlikely they will threaten an Arsenal side with eyes firmly fixed on the top four. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images

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