Aston Villa surprisingly leave their new star out of the Champions League squad just days after signing him
Unai Emery has made a surprising decision by leaving new signing Taylor Harwood-Bellis out of Aston Villa’s Champions League squad, just days after bringing him in.
It’s been a hectic summer for the Europa League winners, with big players like Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez, Lucas Digne, and Youri Tielemans all leaving.
Villa brought in almost a whole new starting lineup, adding players such as Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson, Zion Suzuki, Leon Goretzka, Alejandro Garnacho, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka to the team.
Their last signing was defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who joined from Southampton for an initial £25 million right before the transfer deadline. Despite scoring on his England debut, he can’t play in the Champions League this season because he wasn’t included in Villa’s squad.
Other new players like Modou Keba Cisse and young talent Brian Madjo, who even scored in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, were also left out.
According to UEFA’s rules, teams must have at least eight homegrown players on their Champions League list, four of whom need to be trained by the club. Aston Villa only have two players who fit this: James Wright and Lamare Bogarde. This limited their squad to 23 players, meaning Harwood-Bellis missed out.
Harwood-Bellis had been really excited about playing in the Champions League. He said, “When I heard about the move, the club is such a prestigious Premier League team, and the chance to play in the Champions League just filled me with excitement. I can’t wait to show what I can do on such a big stage. The club’s success in Europe, winning the Europa League and putting up a tough fight against PSG, was huge. I know the club loves European football, and hopefully, we can go even further.”
Right now, Harwood-Bellis won’t be able to play in any of Villa’s eight group stage games. He might only get a chance in the knockout rounds if Villa qualify and make some squad changes.
However, there is a small chance he could still be included. If a player on the List A squad is out for 60 days or longer due to injury or illness, the club can add a replacement temporarily.
Villa head back to the Champions League after winning the Europa League, with their first game against Club Brugge on Tuesday. They also have exciting matches lined up against Barcelona and current champions PSG.
Harwood-Bellis has some Champions League experience, having played once for Manchester City as a 17-year-old in the 2019/20 season against Dinamo Zagreb.