I simulated a big-money Ozzy Osbourne takeover of Aston Villa - this is every player he signed
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Celebrity investments in football clubs have become something of a familiar sight in modern day football.
From the Class of 92’s takeover of Salford City that propelled the Ammies into the EFL to Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s major investment in Wrexham, there have been varying levels of success when it comes to well-known faces getting involved behind the scenes. Hell, even Snoop Dogg is being linked with taking over Celtic - fo’ shizzle.
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Hide AdAnd that got us thinking what could come to pass if there were other high-profile investments at clubs across the English football pyramid. Next up in this series is legendary rock star Ozzy Osbourne taking a stake in his beloved Aston Villa.


So how would the summer play out if ‘The Prince of Darkness’ invested in Villa and was immediately installed as chairman at Villa Park? We fired up Football Manager 2024, used the editor to update the Whites squad to their current state and installed Osbourne as chairman from the end of the current season. To start on a slightly negative note, Villa missed out on a European place and are facing something of a rebuild under their new chairman and manager Unai Emery - but how did the summer transfer window pan out?
Who was allowed to leave Villa following Osbourne’s investment?
The first departures were confirmed within days as goalkeeper Robin Olsen and defender Kortney Hause were both allowed to leave Villa Park when their contracts came to an end and Philippe Coutinho joined Vasco da Gama on a free transfer after a loan spell with the Brazilian club. Left-back Alex Moreno also made a permanent switch to a loan club after agreeing an £8m move to Nottingham Forest.
Leander Dendoncker has returned to Villa Park after a season-long loan at Anderlecht but has been immediately transfer listed and demoted to the club’s Under-21s. Diego Carlos has been allowed to return to Spain after moving back to former club Sevilla in a £7m switch and a £17m bid was enough to persuade Villa into selling Emi Buendia to French giants Marseille. That, along with Osbourne’s investment, means Emery had a £110m transfer budget to play with as he looks to boost his squad and impress the ‘Prince of Darkness’.
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Hide AdWho joined Villa following Osbourne’s investment?
The first deal completed saw Emery find serious competition for regular number one goalkeeper Emi Martinez after securing a £5m deal for Rangers stopper Jack Butland. There were two eye-catching ‘free transfers’ completed and they both came from the same club as Villa agreed deals with England international Angel Gomes and in-demand forward Jonathan David after their contracts at Ligue 1 side Lille came to an end.
A new centre-back was added to Emery’s squad after he raided Portuguese side Sporting CP to land Ousmane Diomande in a £35m deal before returning to Portugal to sign highly-rated midfielder Alan Varela at a cost of £42m. A final move of a hectic summer transfer window came within the final hours as Villa agreed a slightly surprising loan deal for Inter forward Marcus Thuram that will become a £64m move during the summer of 2026.
And there we have it, Football Manager has spoken. Ozzy, it’s your move...
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