Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has struck a confident tone ahead of Wednesday's Super Cup clash with European champions Paris Saint-Germain in Salzburg, insisting his side will absorb a summer of significant departures. Despite losing key players including Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne, Emery argued Villa have consistently "moved forward" since his 2018 arrival and remain competitive with England's traditional powerhouses, even without matching their financial resources.

Villa sold Rogers to Chelsea for £117m, having signed him from Middlesbrough for £8m, while Tielemans, bought on a free transfer, left for £35m and Digne, replaced at left-back by Ian Maatsen, returns to former club PSG for the Super Cup and could make his second debut against them. Villa also lost three coaching staff, including set-piece coach Austin MacPhee, and face a possible test if Arsenal pursue defender Ezri Konsa, with Konsa, Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martínez still on post-World Cup holiday. Captain John McGinn backed Emery's optimism, saying the club retains its "main core" and expects to compete with the best in England and Europe despite the turnover of players and staff.