You won’t believe who has been left out of Aston Villa’s European plans. The new signing missing the cut is Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who was omitted from Villa’s Champions League squad along with Modou Keba Cisse and Brian Madjo. It’s a bruising piece of news for a defender who arrived with plenty of fanfare and, by his own account, a real hunger to play on the continental stage.
Harwood-Bellis joined from Southampton on deadline day in a reported £25 million deal, so this is not the sort of omission anyone expected. Villa’s problem isn’t form or fitness. It’s arithmetic. The maximum List A squad was cut from 25 to 23 after the club failed to meet the minimum quota of eight locally trained players. Two places vanished because of a registration rule, and three players paid the price. Unai Emery did not dodge the subject. Speaking before the trip to Hull, he admitted the decision was hard, both for the club and for the players involved. He stressed that Harwood-Bellis is here for the long haul, and said he hopes the defender will get his chance in Europe after January, or in the coming years. That’s a diplomatic answer, but it’s also a reminder that the player will be watching the biggest nights from the sidelines. The timing makes it sting more. The excluded players miss all eight league phase games, which include clashes with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. Those are exactly the fixtures a new arrival dreams about when he signs for a Champions League club.Then there’s Brian Madjo, the 17-year-old who has captured the imagination of supporters. He scored in a superb performance as Villa narrowly lost the UEFA Super Cup final to PSG, though an injury has kept him out since. Leaving him out is a tough call, but Emery clearly sees it as a matter of patience. He pointed out that Madjo is still so young and will have more opportunities in Europe this year or next.
None of this arrives at a comfortable moment for Villa. The spine of the side that won the Europa League has been broken up by the departures of Ollie Watkins, Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers, Emi Martinez and Lucas Digne, and the team lost its opening two Premier League games to Brighton and Arsenal. Losing depth in the European squad on top of that only adds to the sense of a team still finding its feet. There is a silver lining, though. This isn’t necessarily the end of the road for Harwood-Bellis or Madjo. If Villa progress through the league stage, clubs can make up to three changes to the squad before the February 4 deadline. That means a strong run could open the door for both players. [myoldmansaid](https://myoldmansaid.com/?p=68118)
For now, Villa will lean on the defenders who made the list, and Emery will hope his squad management pays off. It may look like a harsh decision, but it’s a very modern kind of football headache, where registration rules can matter as much as talent. The question is whether Villa’s European campaign gives Harwood-Bellis a way back in before the knockout rounds.
One note: this squad news dates from early September, so it isn’t brand new. If you want the post to reflect where Villa stand in the league phase now, tell me and I’ll update it.
