Aston Villa are on the cusp of something special this season as Unai Emery looks to lead the club to the Champions League by claiming a top four finish in the Premier League this term.
The Spaniard has utilised his expertise in the transfer market by building a side that has the chance to end their 28-year wait for a major trophy and with the Midlands side through to the last 16 of the Europa Conference League, might the wait end this season?
Lavish transfer fees have been splashed on the likes of Moussa Diaby, Pau Torres, and Morgan Rogers since the summer transfer window last year, and, slowly but surely, Emery is building a wonderful squad.
It represents major growth from the side that secured promotion to the top flight in 2019 and some of the signings that summer proved to be a major drain on the finances of the club.
There were a few gems, such as Douglas Luiz, Tyrone Mings, and Ezri Konsa, yet players such as Matt Targett, Marvelous Nakamba and Anwar El Ghazi all failed to really live up to expectations at Villa.
It was the signing of Mahmoud Trezeguet, however, that perhaps was one of the worst signings of that summer, especially with how much money he ended up draining Villa of.
How much Mahmoud Trezeguet cost Aston Villa
Having defeated Derby County in the Championship playoff final in May 2019, Villa had secured promotion back to the top flight after a three-year absence.
Dean Smith was seemingly looking to strengthen his squad ahead of bigger challenges, hence the mass influx of signings, and Trezeguet was one of the players who joined.
The club reportedly paid £8.5m to secure his signature from Turkish side Kasimpasa following a season where he scored nine goals and grabbed nine assists for the club and, on the surface, it looked as though the winger could add something different to the squad.
"We're really excited to work with 'Trez'. I've watched him a number of times," said Smith upon Trezeguet’s arrival in the Midlands.
"He's the type of wide player that we have been looking for who is direct, causes problems for the opposition in the final third and scores goals."
Mahmoud Trezeguet’s salary at Aston Villa
The left-winger signed a deal that saw him receive a wage of £52.5k-per-week, and it proved that Smith was not messing about as he eyed up a top half finish during their first top-flight campaign since the 2015/16 season.
His first season was actually fairly promising. Not only did the player score seven goals in all competitions, but he also chipped in with three assists, and it looked as though he made the left wing spot his own.
During his maiden season, the Egyptian gem ranked fourth among the Villa squad for goals and assists in the Premier League (seven), while ranking fifth for shots per game (1.5) and for successful dribbles per game (0.9), proving himself to be a decent addition to the squad.
His first season appeared to be a success on the pitch and with the Midlands side remaining in the division by the skin of their teeth, finishing 17th, just one point ahead of the drop zone, it was clear the squad had to improve.
The 2019/20 season proved to be Trezeguet’s only productive year at Villa, as his form dropped during the following campaign.
How much Trezeguet rinsed Aston Villa for
The winger saw his game time decrease during the 2020/21 season, making just 22 appearances in all competitions, and with that, his goal contributions dried up rapidly.
Indeed, he scored just twice in the Premier League, while notching only two additional assists, and he struggled to secure a consistent place in the starting XI, making just 12 starts all season before knee surgery ruled him out of the final stages of the campaign.
These returns saw him drop to eighth in the squad for goals and assists (three), while his displays meant he ranked only seventh for successful dribbles per game (0.8) and 11th for key passes per game (0.6) which proved that his performances had declined.
He missed the entire first half of the following campaign due to recovering from his knee surgery, playing just ten minutes for the club in a 2-1 defeat to Brentford in January 2022 and that proved to be his final match for Villa.
Shortly after, he joined Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir FK on a loan deal until the end of the 2021/22 season and enjoyed a resurgence of sorts, scoring six times and securing four further assists as he sprung back into some form in Turkey.
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That summer, the Egyptian player secured a permanent move to Turkey, joining Trabzonspor in a deal worth £4.25m and this was half of what Villa had paid to sign him three years previously.
Despite an encouraging start, the winger failed to capitalise and while injury issues did not help his cause, Trezeguet drained the club for around £15.32m.
Across a 156-week Villa career, he spent two-and-a-half seasons with the club – with six months on loan with Basaksehir. This meant that they paid him two full seasons of £2.73m and a minimum of £1.36m for the first half of the campaign before his temporary move to Turkey.
In total, they splashed out a minimum of £6.82m. Add that to the £8.5m they paid to sign him from Kasimpasa in the summer of 2019 and that is £15.32m spent on him, including transfer fee and wages, although it could be more of Basaksehir did not cover all of his wages.
Given that he scored just nine goals in 64 appearances for the Villa Park side, it certainly shows that he failed to really build on a decent first season and struggled to remain consistent.
Steven Gerrard clearly did not see a long-term future for the winger once he returned from his loan spell in Turkey and sold him on for a loss in 2022.
20 goals and 12 assists in just 58 games for Trabzonspor show that the player has perhaps found his level in the Turkish top flight, and it looks as though he can be a key player for his club.
Emery is building a squad filled with talent in order to upset the apple cart in the Premier League and so far it seems to be working.
While the likes of Trezeguet and El Ghazi played their part during their first season back in the promised land, Villa have come rather far over the previous 12 months.