Apparently we're after Will Osula? I know nothing about him, so looked him up. At this point, you just have to find it funny. #avfc

The mistake you've made is going for some bang-average journeymen players. If you go for the real superstars, you can wear your shirt with pride long after they've left. #avfc

Forgot to mention - Ollie is getting 20 league goals this season. The curse will be lifted. And he'll go on to do something special at the World Cup. This is his year.

A couple of years ago, our offside trap was a thing of beauty. It gave us a massive weakness to a long ball over the top, but creating a more compact pitch made it much harder for teams to play through us. We controlled more matches as a result. Is there a similar tactic this season?

A more energetic press could be one of the reasons that we haven’t been in a rush to get rid of Emi Buendia. If good money came in for him, I’m sure we’d take it, but he is excellent at harrying defenders. He must be as frustrating to play against as he is to support (and I say that as a big fan).

Evann Guessand is another huge cause for optimism. I can’t claim to have seen him play much before, but from reading up about him, he seems to be exactly what we’ve been missing. Pace, physicality, versatility plus energy with & without the ball. Under the radar, he could be a massive signing.

However. My main cause of cautious optimism is this man. Unai Emery. He has performed miracles at the club since he joined. He has normalised Aston Villa being in the top 6. It’s easy (and pleasant) to forget the mess Steven Gerrard left the club in, and overnight, Unai put it all back together.

Thoughts for the season ahead - a thread. What’s in store for Aston Villa this season? We’ve made incredible progress under Unai - what can we realistically expect to achieve, and what should we look out for in 2025/26? #avfc