Aston Villa should not be fooled, Ross Barkley is finished

Unai Emery has put his full trust in Ross Barkley in what could be the midfielder's final season at Aston Villa.

The 32-year-old dispelled rumours about his future last season, with supporters assuming that his contract expired in the summer of 2026.

He remains an important player at Villa Park, however, starting five of the Villans' six matches across all competitions in 2026-27.

Despite still having a year left on his contract in the summer, it seemed very likely that he would join Coventry City, but a deal never materialised.

There are now rumours that he could even extend his stay at Villa, but Emery would be making a big mistake by keeping him for any longer.

Barkley may have stolen the headlines during Villa's Carabao Cup win over Coventry on Wednesday, 16 September, but that simply isn't enough.

Ross Barkley's frailties exposed vs Coventry City

The former Everton man nodded home in the 40th minute to put Villa back in the lead, before then assisting Tammy Abraham's second goal of the night.

However, this was after Barkley found himself in the referee's notebook for dragging down Caleb Yirenkyi, and allowing the Sky Blues to equalise from the resulting free-kick.

While he may have had a bright game in the final third, his defensive frailties were fully on show against the team sitting bottom of the Premier League.

In 90 minutes, he was dispossessed and dribbled past once, won just 33 per cent of his ground duels, and committed two fouls [FotMob].

When there are so many other options out there, such as new signing Johan Manzambi, a contract extension for Barkley should not be on the to-do list.

Who else should leave Aston Villa next summer?

The squad still requires a rebuild, despite Emery bidding farewell to several big-name players during a very difficult summer window at Villa Park.

In addition to the likes of Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins, figures such as Tyrone Mings and Victor Lindelof could have their futures questioned.

Some fans may even suggest that the Villa need to cash in on Amadou Onana, who continues to struggle with his fitness.

Matty Cash was also the subject of interest from Everton at one point, and it remains to be seen if he is still good enough for Emery's system.