Aston Villa dominate transfer value XI outside Premier League Big Six (and Newcastle)

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As the January transfer window grinds into life, we look at the Premier League players outside the Big Six (and Newcastle) whose value is highest.

We include Newcastle because their status means that their players are not reasonably for sale. And no, that doesn’t mean that Villa would be obliged to sell their assets, but there’s no denying that the financial situations of the Big Six (and Newcastle) are different.

The names come from Transfermarkt but their valuations are way too low to include here.

GK: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)

Inter supposedly made a laughable bid for the World Cup winner earlier this summer but Villa manager Unai Emery will be very happy indeed that it was turned down. This season’s goalkeeper rankings suggest West Ham’s Alphonse Areola might like a word.

RB: Aaron Hickey (Brentford)

Linked with Manchester City last summer – dismissed by Thomas Frank, who said “We will not sell him. He’s not even been here a year” – is the Scottish full-back who joined the Bees for £18m in 2022 Frank thinks he will “get there” in terms of the elite clubs but for now he is just 21 and being sorely missed by Brentford as he struggles with a hamstring injury.

CB: Pau Torres (Aston Villa)

What a coup that was. A signing that would walk into just about any XI in the Premier League and he joined Aston Villa for just £27.5m. He is one of the signings of the Premier League season.

CB: Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)

Strongly linked with Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle but Palace seemingly wanted £60m for the England international and the conversations ended there. He has already been on the books of a Big Six club and Chelsea f***ed it.

His teammate Joachim Andersen also figures high on these lists, along with West Ham centre-half Nayef Aguerd, who could move to Serie A for rather more than West Ham paid in the summer of 2022.

LB: Pervis Estupinan (Brighton)

“I would sum up my first season here using the word pride,” said the Colombian after being nothing short of phenomenal for the Seagulls as they claimed Europa League football for the first time. Has been missed while sidelined by injury this season, exposing Brighton’s lack of specialist alternatives.

Brighton’s sound planning means that he will be due a move to a Big Six (plus Newcastle) club in 2025.

CM: Joao Palhinha (Fulham)

Has recovered from the devastation of being agonisingly close to a summer move to Bayern Munich by once again being the best defensive midfielder outside of the elite, who have pretty much all been linked with him through the first half of the season. That summer deal to Munich was worth around £60m so it’s hard to see the Cottagers accepting any less in January.

CM: Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa)

“People wouldn’t put him in the same breath as Declan Rice or Rodri, but based on their performances this season, I’d certainly put Luiz up there with the pair,” says Paul Merson. Arsenal clearly agree as they have long targeted the Brazilian international, who is a) the complete central midfielder and b) central to Villa’s unlikely tilt for a Champions League place.

RW: Moussa Diaby (Aston Villa)

In truth, we expected Diaby’s impact to be rather more explosive but he has been overshadowed by the contributions of Ollie Watkins, Luiz, Torres, Leon Bailey and John McGinn in this excellent Villa side. But he’s still young, improving and it still seems bizarre that Villa’s only real competition for his services came from Saudi Arabia.

AM: Lucas Paqueta (West Ham)

Seemed to be on the verge of moving to Manchester City but that was scuppered by an investigation into alleged betting breaches, so West Ham will be able to keep him until the situation becomes a little less murky, at least. For now he is central to the Hammers’ post-Rice era, thriving alongside Mohammed Kudus, James Ward-Prowse and Jarrod Bowen in a fluid front four.

LW: Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton)

Another unbelievable piece of transfer wizardry from Brighton saw them sign the Japanese international for less than £3m. In truth, this season has been a little less whelming, but you still wouldn’t get any change out of £60m if you wanted to buy him.

FW: Evan Ferguson (Brighton)

Starting barely half Brighton’s Premier League fames but his value is boosted by his age (19) and the fact that he has just signed a new, very long-term contract, making him marginally more valuable than the more consistent and prolific Ollie Watkins.