Aston Villa’s chances of securing a top-four finish in the Premier League took a big hit last weekend as they stumbled to a 4-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
Having just three days recovery between the clash on Sunday and their Europa Conference League tie against Ajax looked as though it caught up with Unai Emery’s men.
While they were 2-0 down to Spurs, John McGinn got himself sent off with 25 minutes remaining and the north Londoners netted another two in added time to wrap up a convincing victory.
Should Villa prevail against the Dutch giants this Thursday, could fatigue begin to set in and derail their challenge for a Champions League spot?
McGinn’s red card on Sunday means he will now be suspended for the next few league matches and combining this with an ever-growing injury list, it looks as though the Midlands side could see their dreams being destroyed.
Emery has formed an excellent starting XI, but his squad depth is a worry, especially in defence.
If Matty Cash gets injured, the only other senior right back in the first-team squad is Calum Chambers, and he has played a grand total of 222 minutes this season, and he is currently earning more than one of their January transfer signings.
Calum Chambers’ statistics at Aston Villa
In January 2022, during Steven Gerrard’s first transfer window in charge of the club, the former Rangers manager lured Chambers north in a move that cost them just £2m.
This was due to the defender having only six months left on his Arsenal contract and, on the surface, it appeared to be a bargain.
Chambers had spent the previous six and a half seasons at the Gunners, making 122 appearances across all competitions, yet his final 18 months saw him feature on just 17 occasions, and it was clear his future was elsewhere.
Gerrard had secured the signing of a defender with plenty of Premier League experience, and he played 11 games for Villa until May 2022, scoring once in the process.
This should have been a solid platform to work with ahead of the following season, yet he started just five matches for the club, including only two in the league.
The right-back ranked in a lowly 17th position in the squad for accurate passes per game (10.9) in the top flight, while finishing in 11th spot for accurate long balls per game (0.6) and 14th for tackles per match (0.6), indicating that he failed to perform when given a chance in the first team.
The 29-year-old has found opportunities even harder to come by this term as Emery prefers Cash on the right of his back four.
Indeed, Chambers has played just 44 minutes of Premier League football during 2023/24 and that came against Nottingham Forest a couple of weeks ago amid the club's wretched run of injuries at the back.
The Englishman still has another year left on his current contract, yet the Spaniard will clearly be looking to move him on this summer, especially considering the wage that he is earning every week.
What Calum Chambers earns at Aston Villa
The defender signed a three-and-a-half-year deal in January 2022, earning a staggering £50k-per-week in the process.
Since he joined, the defender has only played 32 times for the Villa Park outfit, which indicates that he is rinsing the club dry, even if a lavish fee wasn't spent to acquire his services.
Clement Lenglet
£150k
Boubacar Kamara
£150k
Youri Tielemans
£150k
Moussa Diaby
£130k
Ollie Watkins
£130k
John McGinn
£120k
Lucas Digne
£120k
Emiliano Martínez
£120k
Leon Bailey
£120k
Diego Carlos
£100k
Via Capology
Indeed, combining his £2m transfer fee with the £5.7m he has earned roughly since moving to the club just over two years ago, the total comes to £7.7m, which works out at £240k per game.
While he may be towards the lower end of the scale concerning the highest earners at Villa, he is still earning more than Morgan Rogers, who joined in January, yet the youngster clearly has a big part to play for the club in the coming weeks, unlike Chambers.
How much Morgan Rogers earns at Aston Villa
It was evident during the winter transfer window that Emery was looking to add some attacking reinforcements to his side, while also thinking about the future in the process.
This led him to target a move for Rogers, who had impressed during the first six months of the season for Middlesbrough.
The winger had scored seven goals and registered nine assists for Boro in all competitions and this type of form clearly grabbed the eye of Emery.
A deal was finally announced on deadline day, with Rogers potentially costing the club up to £16m, but his potential ensures this could soon turn into a wise investment.
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The winger was handed a long-term deal while earning a wage of £20k-per-week, which placed him near the bottom of the squad, and this is even £30k-per-week less than Chambers, who has barely featured this season.
The 29-year-old is approaching the last few years of his career and has certainly rinsed the club since his January move in 2022, although Emery will be keen to move him on as soon as possible.
Rogers, on the other hand, has a wonderful future ahead of him. He has yet to open up his account for Villa, but given plenty of time to develop, there is no doubt he can become a shrewd acquisition.
Against Luton Town a couple of weeks ago, Rogers was unleashed in the starting XI and gave Emery plenty to think about while delivering a promising performance.
Not only did he have a shot on target, but the 21-year-old succeeded with 100% of his dribble attempts, made two key passes and lost possession on just four occasions, proving that he is ready for the Premier League.
In comparison, Chambers’ last league appearance saw the defender win zero duels, and make zero tackles or interceptions along with succeeding with 0% of his accurate long ball attempts.
Yet he is earning more than Rogers. The summer transfer window simply cannot come quicker for the former Paris Saint-Germain boss as he seeks to improve his squad.
Chambers will surely be one of the first players to depart to free up some of the wage bill.