Aston Villa Could ‘Become A Mid-table Club Again’ Warns Former Villa Star
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Former Aston Villa attacker Gabby Agbonlahor has warned that the Villans might become a mid-table club again without Champions League football next season.
Unai Emery’s side have fallen off this year after running Arsenal close for the top spot in the Premier League for most of 2025.
Richard Keys is currently being proven right with his prediction that Aston Villa would not be in the title race come March.
Villa, currently fourth in the Premier League, can achieve qualification for next season’s Champions League by winning the Europa League or through a domestic finish in the top five.
Agbonlahor cautioned the Aston Villa players that this season might be the last chance for the club to partake in Europe’s premier competition for a number of years.
Fearing that Morgan Rogers might have to be sold to balance the books, while Emery might no longer fancy the challenge of being the underdogs, Agbonlahor stressed that the ramifications of missing out on the Champions League could be wide-ranging, with Villa at risk of becoming a mid-table club again.
Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT (9:00): “But you see what I don’t want to happen, the players need to understand that like if they do not have Champions League football next season, you could see Aston Villa become a mid-table club again.
“You really can, because you’re not going to have the money to spend.
“You’re going to have to sacrifice maybe Rogers and the manager might not stay because he doesn’t want to not be fighting in the Champions League and be able to bring in the players he wants.
“That’s what the players need to understand.
“They need to take this chance this season because it might be the best chance they have for a number of years to get into the Champions League.”
Aston Villa are fourth in the league standings, level on points with Manchester United on 51, after both sides lost their respective fixtures on Wednesday.
Chelsea gained ground by beating Villa 4-1, and are now level on points with Liverpool on 48.
Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has backed the Reds to finish in the top five despite their loss to Wolves, claiming that none of Aston Villa, Chelsea or Manchester United have been playing well.
Villa have had some injury concerns in midfield with John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara all sidelined, but they might have missed a trick by not convincing Donyell Malen to stay, with former Italy international Daniele Adani praising the Dutch international for changing Roma after his move.
Emery has been linked with the Real Madrid job since Xabi Alonso’s dismissal in January, and Villa might face a battle to fend off the Spanish giants, with Emery’s longest stint at any club being four years.
Aston Villa take on Lille in the Europa League Round of 16 next Thursday, before heading to Old Trafford to face the Red Devils, with either fixture likely to play a large role in deciding if Villa Park experiences Champions League football next season.
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