Aston Villa’s official Premier League squad has been published following the closure of the summer transfer window, with Unai Emery naming 22 senior players for the first half of the 2026/27 season.
The list includes Deadline Day arrival Taylor Harwood-Bellis alongside fellow summer additions Nicolas Jackson, Alejandro Garnacho, Leon Goretzka and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
However, several other major signings do not appear among the 22 senior names because they qualify as Under-21 players and can be used outside the 25-man limit, according to the Premier League’s official 2026/27 squad lists.
Aston Villa name 22-man Premier League squad
Villa’s senior list is:
Tammy Abraham
Ross Barkley
Marco Bizot
Lamare Bogarde
Emiliano Buendía
Matty Cash
Pau Torres
Alejandro Garnacho
João Gomes
Leon Goretzka
Taylor Harwood-Bellis
Nicolas Jackson
Boubacar Kamara
Ian Maatsen
John McGinn
Tyrone Mings
Amadou Onana
Victor Lindelöf
Matteo Ruggeri
Zion Suzuki
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
James Wright
Premier League rules allow clubs to register up to 25 senior players, with no more than 17 who do not fulfil the homegrown criteria. Eligible Under-21 players can be used in addition to that limit.
Villa have instead named 22 senior players.
There is one particularly important distinction between this and Emery’s European squad.
Harwood-Bellis is fully registered for domestic competition despite being left out of Aston Villa’s Champions League squad.
Emery has subsequently opened the door for Harwood-Bellis to return to Villa’s Champions League plans in January, with the manager making clear that the omission does not reflect the club’s long-term view of the £30million defender.
Ibrahim Mbaye and Johan Manzambi remain eligible
Some of the most eye-catching names instead appear on Villa’s separate Under-21 list.
Ibrahim Mbaye, Johan Manzambi, Brian Madjo, Alysson and Modou Kéba Cissé are all included there by the Premier League.
That does not mean they have been omitted from Emery’s plans.
The Premier League confirms registered Under-21 players remain eligible above the senior squad limit, allowing clubs to use them without taking one of the 25 senior positions.
It means £47million signing Mbaye can feature against Hull City without occupying a senior squad place.
Manzambi is similarly eligible, although Emery has now ruled the club-record signing out of the trip to Hull as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.
Villa therefore have considerably more than 22 players available despite the relatively small senior list.
After one of the biggest squad overhauls of Emery’s reign, the official submission provides the clearest picture yet of how Villa have structured their squad for the first half of the season.
