Aston Villa Premier League Odds: Emery can inspire another successful season at Villa Park

After the misery Steven Gerrard and his minions inflicted on the Villa Park faithful for 11 long months, the good times are back at Aston Villa under Unai Emery who, after leading the Midlands club to seventh place and a Europa Conference League berth in the 2022/23 Premier League season, masterminded their return to European football's premier club competition earlier this year.

The Spaniard inspired Villa to a fourth-place finish in his first full campaign in charge, and hopes are high that another successful season is in the offing. Below you can find the Aston Villa Premier League odds for the upcoming season and a prediction on where they will end up next May.

Last Season: 4th

Top Scorer: Ollie Watkins (19)

Transfers In: Amadou Onana - Everton (£50.8m), Ian Maatsen - Chelsea (£38.1m), Cameron Archer - Sheffield United (£14.3m), Jaden Philogene - Hull City (£13.7m), Samuel Iling-Junior - Juventus (£12m), Lewis Dobbin - Everton (£10.1m), Enzo Barrenechea - Juventus (£6.9m), Ross Barkley - Luton Town (£5m)

Transfers Out: Moussa Diaby - Al-Ittihad (£51.4m), Douglas Luis - Juventus (£44.1m), Tim Iroegbunam - Everton (£9.2m), Morgan Sanson - OGC Nice (£3.4m), Viljami Sinisalo - Celtic (£1m), Calum Chambers - Cardiff City (free), Philippe Coutinho - Vasco da Gama (loan), Lewis Dobbin - West Bromwich Albion (loan), Kaine Kesler-Hayden - Preston North End (loan)

First Game: West Ham United (A)

Prediction: 6th

Premier League Odds

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Aston Villa made an inauspicious start to last season, losing 5-1 away to Newcastle United on the opening weekend. Emery's side showed plenty of promise in attack but were continually exposed at the back, with their high defensive line torn to shreds by the Magpies.

But Villa responded the following week by thrashing Everton 4-0 at Villa Park, and they never really looked back, losing just two more times before Christmas. Back-to-back 1-0 wins against Arsenal and Manchester City at the start of December even sparked talk of an unlikely title charge.

That didn't materialise as Villa struggled with the weight of expectation and the fixture demands placed on them by the Europa Conference League, which they could not juggle after injuries to key personnel including Boubacar Kamara and Jacob Ramsey.

Nevertheless, despite being dumped out of Europe by Olympiakos, who shocked them 6-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals, Villa could be proud of their season efforts, which were rewarded with Champions League football at the end of it.

Villa will now compete in Uefa's premier club competition for the first time since it rebranded from the European Cup to the Champions League in 1991/92; the Villans last played in the European Cup 41 years ago in 1982/83 having won the competition the season before.

Supporters have much to thank Emery for, whose tactical nous has been vital in getting Villa to punch above their weight.

Expectations are rising now, however, after a busy summer in the transfer market. Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen have both been brought in for big money and are expected to nail down starting spots, while Enzo Barrenechea, Samuel Iling-Junior, Jaden Philogene and Ross Barkley are other significant additions to the squad.

In fairness, Villa have recouped weighty amounts for the exits of Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby, and the Brazilian midfielder in particular will be tough to replace.

Onana is a different profile of player to Douglas Luiz but will be expected to assert a similar level of control in the middle of midfield while also making his considerable presence known. Kamara is currently injured but when the Frenchman returns Emery will have strength in depth in central positions with Barkley, Barrenechea, Youri Tielemans and captain John McGinn all proficient in playing there.

One of the most glaring issues still to be addressed, however, is in defence. Maatsen has been signed at left-back as, presumably, an upgrade on Lucas Digne and Alex Moreno, but there are question marks over pairing him next to left-sided centre-back Pau Torres, given the issues both face when presented with physical opponents.

Still, there are more concerns over the make-up of the right-hand side. Ezri Konsa has established himself as an England international after a superb season last time out, but the 26-year-old was forced to flit between right-back and central defence due to injuries and uncertainty over Matty Cash, who appears to irk the Villa Park faithful like no other first-teamer at present.

Kosta Nedeljkovic has arrived to bolster Emery's options at right-back, but the 18-year-old Serbian is unlikely to be considered a starter yet and may even be loaned out before the conclusion of the transfer window.

Feyenoord's Lutsharel Geertruida is reported to be in advanced talks to join the Midlands club, and the 24-year-old Dutch international would offer presence and security on the ball on the right, allowing Maatsen to be more adventurous down the left.

That would be one problem solved, but another addition in attack would also be warmly received given the responsibility on the shoulders of Ollie Watkins, who struck 19 Premier League goals last season but ended the campaign without one in his last five appearances, and if he is missing for any length of time, Villa could be in trouble.

January signing Morgan Rogers could have a big role to play this season after netting twice in his final three 2023/24 outings before succumbing to injury, while Leon Bailey will be eager to build on his 10-goal tally in the Premier League last term as he finally showed what he is capable of.

Philogene and Cameron Archer are also back at Villa Park after the academy graduates spent time elsewhere in recent years, and the former in particular should be raring to go after scoring 12 times in the Championship for Hull City last season.

But there are still major doubts surrounding Colombian striker Jhon Duran who, after a frustrating year that saw him play second fiddle to Watkins, spent the summer fluttering his eyelids at West Ham United, enraging Villans.

The 20-year-old was ultimately denied a move to a Premier League rival and is now in a state of limbo, as are Villa themselves, who must decide whether to cash in and pursue a proper alternative to Watkins, or persist with a petulant, but powerful, centre-forward.

Pre-season hasn't exactly been promising for Villa, who suffered defeats to the Columbus Crew (1-4), RB Leipzig (0-2) and Club America (0-1) in their tour of the USA, and lost to Borussia Dortmund (0-2) at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday, conceding a calamitous goal in the latter, inflicted by Torres.

But Villa should be stronger personnel-wise this season with Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings to come back into the fold after long-term injuries, and with Emiliano Martinez in goal and Emery at the helm, supporters will believe that anything is possible, and why shouldn't they?

A top-six berth is more than achievable, and I wouldn't rule out another top-four finish, especially given the uncertainty surrounding both Manchester United and Chelsea.

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