Aston Villa: Where are Dean Smith's first 10 signings now? | OneFootball

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Dean Smith's time at Aston Villa may have been fairly brief, but it was one of the most important managerial reigns in the club's recent history. The Englishman spent three years in charge of the Midlands side, between 2018 and 2021, but managed to bring them back to the Premier League and help establish them as a solid top-flight club.

Things have gone from strength to strength following his exit, with Unai Emery taking Villa to heights they haven't seen in decades, but there's no forgetting just how vital Smith's time at Villa Park was. The former Brentford manager was responsible for bringing some notable players to the club too, with the likes of Emi Buendia, Emi Martinez and Ollie Watkins all joining during his reign, but what happened to the first 10 players that he brought to Villa? Let's find out.

Lovre Kalinic

Smith wasted absolutely no time making his first signing at Villa when he brought Lovre Kalinic to the club on January 1, 2019 to try and amend uncertainty over the goalkeeping department at Villa Park.

Orjan Nyland and Jed Steer had split the playing time that season, and once Kalinic joined, he had a brief run in the side. He failed to actually seize control of the starting spot in the lineup, though and played just eight games in his debut season at Villa Park. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for him at the club as well, failing to make a single appearance over the next three years as he left the side on several loans. He eventually joined Hadjuk Split on a permanent deal last summer.

Kortney Hause

Smith initially signed Kortney Hause on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers in his first transfer window at Villa, looking for some depth at the back. The centre-back clearly impressed too, signing a permanent deal the very next summer. His highlight is undoubtedly the last minute winner he scored for Villa against Manchester United in September 2021.

The 28-year-old is still at the club, making him one of the side's longest-tenured players, but has struggled for game time in recent years, playing just nine games during the 2021-22 season, before spending last year out on loan at Watford. With the arrival of stars like Diego Carlos, Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres, it's hard to see him forcing his way into the side anytime soon either.

Jaden Philogene-Bidace

With an eye firmly on the future, Jaden Philogene-Bidace was Smith's next signing, bringing the youngster into the Villa youth ranks from Pro:Direct Academy. The deal cost the club nothing and was more of a long-term investment. He never quite made it into the side's first-team on a regular basis, but appeared several times over the years before loan spells at Stoke City and Cardiff City proved he could hang in the Championship.

It was those spells that encouraged Hull City to sign the 21-year-old from Villa on a permanent deal this summer. He's already played four times for the Tigers, indicating how highly they seem to rate him.

Frederic Guilbert

Defence was clearly an area of concern for Smith as he signed another defender in his first transfer window with Frederic Guilbert joining the club for an undisclosed fee on deadline day. The right-back had impressed at Caen during the two previous seasons and was brought in to bolster Villa's backline.

The initial deal, though, saw him loaned back to the French club for the remainder of the season, so he didn't actually join Smith's team until the 2019-20 season. His first year in England was a solid one too, with 29 appearances in all competitions as they avoided relegation from the Premier League. The arrival of Matty Cash in 2020 spelt trouble for him, though, and he soon joined Strasbourg on loan. After two consecutive loan spells, he joined the French side on a permanent deal in 2022.

Tom Carroll

After a breakthrough season in the Premier League one year prior, Tom Carroll joined Villa on a loan deal in January 2019. The midfielder played just two games for the side, though, before a season-ending injury cut his time in the Midlands short, and he returned to Swansea City prematurely.

He remained with the Swans until 2020 when he joined Queens Park Rangers, spending one year at Loftus Road. He has since dropped to League One, with a spell at Ipswich Town, before he joined Exeter City this summer.

Tyrone Mings

Undoubtedly the biggest success in Smith's first 10 signings, Tyrone Mings has become an icon at Villa Park and is easily one of the club's most important signings in recent memory. Originally brought in on a loan deal in January 2019, he impressed massively during his temporary spell with the Villans and they signed him on a permanent deal from AFC Bournemouth the following summer.

He's since gone from strength to strength within the team and has played a significant role in their rise up the Premier League and return to European football. Unfortunately, he is currently out with a long-term injury, but will hopefully be back at his best when he returns.

Jota

Having previously worked with Smith to great success at Brentford, Jota signed for Villa following their promotion to the Premier League. The midfielder had shone for Birmingham City for the previous two seasons but failed to ever really get going for the Villans.

He made just 16 appearances for the side before he was released from his contract. He joined Deportivo Alaves shortly afterwards but spent just a single season with the Spanish club before retiring from football at just 31 years old last year.

Anwar El Ghazi

Anwar El Ghazi was already at Villa on loan when Smith took charge of the side in October 2018, but he clearly did enough to impress his new manager as the Englishman made his deal a permanent one that next summer. He had a solid career in the Midlands too, spending the next couple of years with the club in the top flight.

He eventually fell out of favour with the side and joined Everton on loan in 2022, but made just two appearances for the Toffees. He joined PSV Eindhoven on a permanent deal later that year and spent two seasons in Holland before moving to Mainz 05 this summer. Regardless of what he's done throughout his career, though, the highlight will always be the goal he scored in the playoff final that helped steer Villa back to the Premier League.

Wesley

Following promotion to the Premier League, Smith was given a war chest to spend, and his first big-money move was for Wesley. He signed the forward for £22m, and he had an instant impact in the team. The Brazilian had dominated for Club Brugge and brought some of that form to England with him.

In his first season, he scored six goals for Villa and looked to be a real special acquisition. Unfortunately, an injury he suffered against Burnley put him on the sidelines for a very long time, and he didn't play football for 480 days. He never quite recovered after that either and made just another four appearances for the Villans. Loan spells at Club Brugge, Internacional and Levante followed, and he finally left the club this summer when he joined Stoke City on a permanent deal.

Matt Targett

Closing out Smith's first 10 signings at Villa was another solid addition in Matt Targett. The left-back had emerged at Southampton as an impressive talent and was brought to the Midlands shortly after the Villans were promoted to the Premier League. He quickly established himself as the side's first-choice left-back too.

The Englishman slotted into the side seamlessly and held onto the starting position for the majority of his time at Villa Park, but - following the signing of Lucas Digne - he was sent on loan to Newcastle United in January 2022. Later that year, he joined the Magpies on a permanent deal and remains with the side to this day.