Remember when Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa were fighting neck and neck for European places? And remember when Villa were actually beating them, trouncing them in the battle for the Champions League? There were people who legitimately thought that the Lions would be replacing Tottenham as the new Big Six club under the leadership of former Sevilla Europa League mavens Unai Emery and Monchi.
Well, well, well, look at how quickly things change back again now. Aston Villa are in an even worse way than Tottenham were last season, buried so far down the Premier League table through five Matchdays that they are only superior to Wolves, who are beyond an embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Tottenham are Europa League champions, back in the Champions League, and currently among the teams fighting behind Liverpool for second in the Premier League table. They also signed marquee transfers in the summer window in Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus and have a highly talented, ascending squad.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, can't buy a single goal, they flouted PSR, they have very few sellable assets in their squad, and the lack of star power in comparison to the big clubs in the Premier League is downright appalling. And they certainly didn't add to that pool this summer either.
Aston Villa chose poorly
Tottenham have Aston Villa to thank for handing them a boost that allowed them usurp Villa in the table and leave them in the dust. Once competitors, the gap between Tottenham and Aston Villa is back to the status quo, and perhaps the swing was when Villa canned Johan Lange, giving him the opportunity to join Spurs.
Wheres Monchi has tanked his reputation as a sporting director and left Villa in a rough spot, Lange has made smart move after smart move, including endearing himself permanently to Tottenham supporters by being part of the push to oust Daniel Levy out the door.
But even with Levy around, Lange still made the moves count for Spurs. Mathys Tel and Joao Palhinha were two other wise moves from Bayern Munich that Spurs made this summer to upgrade their squad in the 2025/26 season and beyond.
Lange was the one who turned Aston Villa into a top team in the Premier League, not Monchi. He was the one who signed Emiliano Martinez, Ollie Watkins, and other key players, with Dibu and Watkins being the clear standouts for Villa and world-class players in multiple seasons.
Tottenham are going to get arguably better signings than those two under the Lange reign, as Kudus and Simons alone are already crushing it. So as Tottenham fans bask in the renewed success of their club, they should consider sending Villa a thank you card for replacing Lange with Monchi.