Aston Villa’s turnaround from relegation candidates in October 2022 to Champions League qualifiers 18 months later is nothing short of remarkable.

Appointing Unai Emery – who had plenty of experience at the top of the game managing the likes of Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain – proved to be the catalyst for Villa to embark on this stunning transformation.

They can now look forward to potential clashes against the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, or Inter Milan next season, but this is just the first step on the journey under the Spaniard.

The summer will be spent eyeing up signings that can add some quality to several positions in his squad while also providing plenty of depth, something which Emery lacks.

He may be forced to sell one or two of his star performers in order to comply with financial fair play regulations, which could see the likes of Douglas Luiz or even Leon Bailey move on for big money this summer if the right offer comes in.

This isn’t the first time that the club have been forced into selling one of their prized assets, with Gareth Barry’s sale to Manchester City being a key example.

If you adjust for inflation over the years, Barry’s move to Manchester in the summer of 2009 was for a transfer fee which is currently more than the value of Bailey, who has been one of the club’s finest performers this season.

Leon Bailey’s market value in 2024

Bailey joined the Midlands side in 2021, yet he has taken until a couple of years to really showcase his true talents in the Premier League.

Across 52 games in all competitions throughout 2023/24, the former Bayer Leverkusen winger has registered 28 goal contributions – 14 goals and 14 assists – becoming a star player for Emery in what was a wonderful campaign.

Metric

Conference League

Premier League

Goals

2

10

Assists

4

9

Big chances created

2

12

Key passes per game

1.2

1.5

Successful dribbles per game

2.2

1.6

Via Sofascore

Among his teammates, Bailey ranked second in the top flight for goals and assists (19), along with ranking third for shots on target per game (0.5), second for big chances created (12) and for successful dribbles per match (1.6), underlining how important he was to the squad.

This form surely won’t go unnoticed on the continent. Could Emery potentially cash in on one of his prized assets should an offer which is too good to refuse arrive during the summer?

According to Football Transfers, Bailey is currently valued at €23m (£19.6m) and this could rise should he continue his recent form into next season, regardless of who he is playing for.

In 2009, Villa did move on one of their most important players for a decent profit, as Barry joined the City revolution and his sale has since turned out to be more than what Bailey is now valued at.

What Gareth Barry would be worth in 2024 money

Barry came through the age groups at Villa before making his debut during the 1997/98 campaign. It wasn’t long before he emerged as a key figure in the Midlands side, going on to make close to 450 competitive appearances for the club.

It looked as though Liverpool were keen on signing the Englishman during the summer of 2008, as Rafa Benitez wanted to bolster his squad, but the transfer saga didn’t amount to much, with Barry spending the next season at Villa.

When City came in for him a year later, however, it was a totally different story. Now bankrolled by their takeover in 2008, the Manchester side spent £12m on getting Barry to the club.

Remarkably, as per Totally Money's index, this £12m transfer fee from 2009 would now be worth just shy of £29m, which is around £10m more than what Bailey is currently valued at.

Totally Money have taken the 100 most expensive transfers of all time across each season since 1992 in Europe's top five leagues. Armed with plenty of historical financial data they have calculated what footballers of yesteryear would be worth in the present day after taking into account the remarkable rate of inflation.

Barry was arguably hitting his peak when he moved to City aged 28, but it was still an offer which the club felt they couldn’t turn down, especially after the Liverpool saga from a year ago.

What Gareth Barry achieved after leaving Aston Villa

While City were clearly on the ascendency, they were hardly the European juggernauts which Pep Guardiola has turned them into.

Barry appeared 43 times in all competitions during his maiden season before going on to win the FA Cup the following campaign as Roberto Mancini really began to take City to the next level.

Player

Games

Gareth Barry

653

James Milner

634

Ryan Giggs

632

Frank Lampard

609

David James

572

Gary Speed

535

Emile Heskey

516

Mark Schwarzer

514

Jamie Carragher

508

Phil Neville

505

Via PremierLeague.com

The next two seasons saw the midfielder miss just 11 Premier League games, and he finally won the league title that alluded him during his career, as City claimed their first top-flight crown for over 40 years in 2012.

This was to be the highlight of his time at the club as he subsequently joined Everton ahead of the 2013/14 season, playing a handful of seasons for the Toffees before ending his excellent playing career with a spell at West Bromwich Albion in 2020.

The midfielder was certainly one of the most underrated midfielders of his generation and his longevity was superb. Indeed, Barry has made the most appearances in the Premier League since its inception back in 1992, holding the record with 653 games across four different clubs.

He also won 53 caps for England during a period in which the country produced midfielders such as Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, and Paul Scholes, again, more evidence of just how good he was during his prime in the mid to late noughties.

Martin O’Neil certainly didn’t want to sell his prized asset in 2009, but on the surface, there is no doubt the Irishman secured an excellent deal for the player.

Barry’s fee from 15 years ago is worth nearly £30m in today’s market, which proves he would be ranked highly if he played in the current era.

Emery, like O’Neil before him, won't be keen on selling his best players. If the Spaniard wishes to advance in Europe and finally end that near three-decade wait for a major trophy, however, he may just have to bite the bullet in order to further enhance his first team squad this summer.

Market Movers

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