Aston Villa are gearing up for the most thrilling campaign in a generation, with Unai Emery and his squad having qualified for the Champions League after finishing fourth in the Premier League last season.
Despite the urgency of successfully circumventing PSR restrictions by selling Douglas Luiz and academy graduates Tim Iroegbunam and Omari Kellyman, Villa have proven themselves savvy operators by signing a string of players to improve the first-team squad.
Ian Maatsen, Samuel Iling-Junior, Enzo Barrenechea, Ross Barkley, Lewis Dobbin. More to come? Most certainly. Villa will continue to build their team up and buttress it ahead of Champions League nights, but Emery and Co must not forget the talented phenoms who have got them there.
Ezri Konsa is the talk of the town right now given his international escapades with England in Germany, but there's another long-time servant at Villa Park with a loftier market value right now.
The man in question is Scotland's John McGinn, who has gone from strength to strength under Emery's wing.
The fee Aston Villa paid for John McGinn
Emery has mustered his forces with considerable expertise since replacing the beleaguered Steven Gerrard at the helm in October 2022, with his market movements bearing testament to his ability to assemble a successful team.
But the likes of Konsa and McGinn already occupied spots in the squad, and have since risen to heights unimaginable. McGinn, for example, has been at the club since signing from Hibernian for just £2m back in 2018 under Steve Bruce.
The indefatigable Scotsman had been courted by Celtic but opted to join the Villans despite their position in England's second tier. It's a decision that proved to be shrewd and successful, having since completed 236 appearances and earning the captain's armband, leading the outfit from the Championship to Europe's elite club competition.
To think that Aston Villa signed the 5 foot 10 midfielder for a nominal £2m fee is quite something – especially when considering how much his value has since shot up.
John McGinn's market value in 2024
Aston Villa have a team that's genuinely capable of sustaining success at the upper end of the Premier League and in Europe, laced together by Emery's sharp design.
The club's two most valuable players – Player of the Season Ollie Watkins and standout 2023 signing Moussa Diaby – often steal the headlines but it is McGinn's presence as the unceasing engine – he's been described a "relentless creature" by journalist Mat Kendrick – that has ensured the club have reached the position they are currently in.
1.
Ollie Watkins
£47m
2.
Moussa Diaby
£44m
3.
John McGinn
£37m
4.
Pau Torres
£36m
5.
Ezri Konsa
£33m
It's perhaps understandable that McGinn lingers behind the top two forwards but his soaring rise in valuation over the past six years truly is something to behold, marking an audacious 1750% rise since his arrival.
Konsa, too, has enjoyed a big mushroom in price, joining from Brentford (who were in the Championship at the time) for £12m in 2019, one year after McGinn joined and turbo-powered a promotion-winning season.
One thing's for certain, Emery has cultivated a stunning crop of players in the English Midlands, with exciting additions pouring in now that a place among the big boys has been established.
But let's not forget the long-timers, for they have been the overall architects of the success.
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