Aston Villa struck gold with Barnsley FC deal

The 2024/25 season witnesses Aston Villa mixing in with the big boys of European football in the Champions League after Unai Emery’s men landed a top four spot in the Premier League last season.

An early October victory over Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich symbolised how far Villa have risen in recent years, and that the club have restored their glory days.

But just over five years ago, the West Midlands outfit were plying their trade in the Championship until they won the play-off final against Derby County in May 2019.

Villa’s starting 11 at Wembley that day included the likes of John McGinn, who continues to be a key player among their ranks, and Jack Grealish, who has gone on to win the Champions League with Manchester City and represent England in a World Cup.

But Villa’s team, then managed by Dean Smith, also contained players who will be more widely considered as Football League journeymen, such as former Bristol City and Middlesbrough man Albert Adomah and Conor Hourihane, who returned to Barnsley last June, after departing the South Yorkshire club in favour of a move to Villa Park back in 2017.