2015–16 Aston Villa F.C. season

Second City Derby
	55--37--30
	← 2010–11 2016–17 →

Aston Villa
2015–16 season
Chairman	Randy Lerner
Manager	Tim Sherwood; (until 25 October); Kevin MacDonald; (interim, from 25 October to 2 November); Rémi Garde; (from 2 November to 29 March); Eric Black; (interim, from 30 March);
Stadium	Villa Park
Premier League	20th (relegated)
FA Cup	Fourth round
League Cup	Fourth round
Top goalscorer	League: ; Jordan Ayew (7); All: ; Jordan Ayew (7)
	← 2014–15 2016–17 →

The 2015–16 Premier League season was Aston Villa's 141st season in English football. It was the club's 24th season in the Premier League and 28th and final consecutive season in the top flight of English football. Villa also participated in the FA Cup and League Cup.

The club was initially managed by Tim Sherwood, in what would have been his first full season as manager.^[1] However, Sherwood was sacked on 25 October 2015.^[2]^[3] A week later, Rémi Garde agreed a three-and-a-half-year deal to become manager of the bottom of table Premier League side.^[4] Six days later, in Garde's first match in charge, his new team drew 0–0 with league leaders Manchester City.^[5]

Garde put a strong emphasis on discipline at Villa. He dropped midfielder Jack Grealish from the first team after he went partying following a 4–0 loss at Everton.^[6] On 29 March 2016, with Villa still bottom of the league, Garde left the club by mutual consent.^[7] Ex-Coventry City manager Eric Black was put in temporary charge.^[8]

The club were relegated from the top flight of English football for the first time since the 1986–87 season following an away loss to Manchester United on 16 April 2016, having been one of seven remaining sides (along with Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur) who had not been relegated since the Premier League's inception in 1992 at the beginning of the 2015–16 season.^[9] On 18 May 2016, it was announced that Tony Xia's Recon Group had agreed to buy Aston Villa for a reported £60 million from American businessman Randy Lerner, with the club becoming part of Recon Group's Sports, Leisure and Tourism division. On 14 June 2016, the sale was completed for a reported £76 million after being approved by the Football League. Upon completion of the sale, Xia became chairman of the club.^[10]^[11]

Key events

19 May: Scott Sinclair joins the club permanently, having been on loan during the previous season, after the club confirms its survival in the Premier League.^[12]
8 June: The club's record signing Darren Bent is released at the end of his contract, along with Enda Stevens and Graham Burke.^[13]
17 June: Micah Richards becomes Tim Sherwood's first official signing as manager, joining on a free transfer after the end of his contract at Manchester City.^[14]
18 June: Academy graduate Andreas Weimann joins Derby County after eight years at the club.^[15]
1 July: Former captain Ron Vlaar officially departs after rejecting a new contract offer from the club.^[16] Chris Herd is also officially released at the end of his contract.^[17]
9 July: Goalkeeper Mark Bunn joins the club on a free transfer, signing a two-year deal, after his contract expired at Norwich City.^[18]
10 July: Villa sign Senegalese defensive midfielder Idrissa Gueye from Lille for a fee believed to be £9 million.^[19] Shay Given leaves the club after four years, joining Stoke City on a free transfer after the final year of his contract was mutually terminated.^[20]
17 July: Club captain Fabian Delph performs a second u-turn in the space of a week, as he completes a move to Manchester City after they trigger his £8 million release clause. His departure from the club comes only six days after he allegedly turned down a move to City, in favour of staying at Villa.^[21]
18 July: Villa sign French left-back Jordan Amavi from Nice for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £9 million.^[22]^[23]
22 July: Christian Benteke completes a move to Liverpool after they trigger his £32.5 million release clause.^[24]
27 July: Ghanaian striker Jordan Ayew signs for Villa on a five-year deal from Lorient, for a fee in the region of £9 million.^[25]^[26]
28 July: Spanish fullback José Ángel Crespo signs for Villa from La Liga side Córdoba on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.^[27]
31 July: The club confirms its eighth and ninth signings of the summer as Jordan Veretout and Rudy Gestede both sign on five-year deals. The pair join from Nantes and Blackburn Rovers respectively.^[28]^[29] Nathan Baker signs a new four-year contract, the same day.^[30]
5 August: Ciaran Clark signs a new five-year contract at the club and Aly Cissokho joins Porto on a season-long loan.^[31]^[32] Cissokho is later recalled in December after injury rules out first choice left-back Jordan Amavi for the season.^[33]^[34]
7 August: Callum Robinson joins Bristol City on a season-long loan.^[35]
8 August: Villa win their first game of the season 1–0 away at newly promoted Bournemouth. Substitute Rudy Gestede scores the winner on his debut for the club.^[36]
12 August: Ashley Westwood signs a new five-year contract with the club.^[37]
13 August: Villa are drawn against Notts County in the second round of the League Cup.^[38]
14 August: Spanish winger Adama Traoré signs for Villa from La Liga side Barcelona on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee.^[39]
20 August: Leandro Bacuna signs a new five-year contract at the club.^[40]
21 August: Gary Gardner commits to the club for another three years.^[41]
25 August: Villa make it through to the third round of the League Cup, after a 5–3 extra-time victory over Notts County. They draw arch-rivals Birmingham City in the next round.^[42]^[43]
1 September: On deadline day the club brings in three new players, as Joleon Lescott is signed from rivals West Bromwich Albion, Tiago Ilori joins on a season-long loan from Liverpool and 18-year-old Montenegrin goalkeeper Matija Sarkic, who will link up with the development squad, is recruited from Anderlecht.^[44]^[45]^[46] Nathan Baker leaves on a season-long loan to Bristol City and Joe Bennett joins Bournemouth on loan until January, after signing a new one-year extension to his contract earlier in the day.^[47]^[48]
13 September: Villa blow a 2–0 lead with 18 minutes to go, as they lose 3–2 away at Leicester City. One positive is academy product Jack Grealish scoring his first senior goal for the club.^[49]
22 September: Villa beat fierce rivals Birmingham City 1–0 in the first Second City Derby for almost five years. A Rudy Gestede header is enough to send them through to the fourth round of the League Cup.^[50]
24 October: Villa sack Tim Sherwood as manager after a 2–1 loss against Swansea City at Villa Park. This was the club's eighth defeat in the first ten league games and sixth in a row.^[2]^[51]
29 October: Villa are knocked out of the League Cup by Southampton after a 2–1 defeat.^[52]
2 November: Villa appoint Frenchman Rémi Garde as their new manager on a three-and-a-half-year deal.^[3]
8 November: Villa draw 0–0 with league leaders Manchester City, earning Rémi Garde a point in his first match in charge as manager and simultaneously ending a seven-match losing streak.^[53]
28 November: After a 3–2 defeat against Watford at Villa Park, Villa break their record for most league games without winning with the total reaching 13.^[54]
7 December: Villa draw Wycombe Wanderers away in the third round of the FA Cup.^[55]
28 December: Villa lose their final game of 2015 going down 2–0 away to Norwich City. This defeat sees the club 11 points from safety at the halfway point of the season, as well as their winless run in the league stretching to 18 games.^[56]
2 January 2016: Villa start 2016 with another defeat, this time losing 3–1 at their nearest rivals in the table Sunderland.^[57]
9 January: Another disappointing result for the club as they draw 1–1 in the third round of theFA Cup to League Two side Wycombe Wanderers, sparking angry scenes from Villa fans during and after the match.^[58]^[59]
12 January: Villa finally record their first league win since the opening day, overcoming Crystal Palace 1–0 at Villa Park courtesy of a Joleon Lescott goal following a goalkeeping error. The game saw the team end a club-record 19 game winless run, as well as recording their first home league win since May 2015.^[60]
19 January: Villa defeat Wycombe Wanderers 2–0 in their FA Cup third round replay, to set up a home tie against Manchester City in the next round.^[61]^[62]
30 January: Villa exit the FA Cup after a 0–4 loss to Manchester City at Villa Park.^[63]
16 April: Villa lose 1–0 to Manchester United, confirming relegation to the Championship.^[9]

Players

First team squad

Squad no.	Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	Apps	Goals	Notes
Goalkeepers
1	Brad Guzan	GK	(1984-09-09)9 September 1984 (aged 31)	163	0
13	Jed Steer HG¹	GK	(1992-09-23)23 September 1992 (aged 23)	4	0	On loan at Huddersfield Town.
31	Mark Bunn HG¹	GK	(1984-11-16)16 November 1984 (aged 31)	7	0
Defenders
3	Joe Bennett HG¹	LB	(1990-03-28)28 March 1990 (aged 26)	38	1	On loan at Sheffield Wednesday.
4	Micah Richards (team captain) HG¹	CB / RB	(1988-06-24)24 June 1988 (aged 28)	22	2
5	Jores Okore	CB	(1992-08-11)11 August 1992 (aged 23)	42	1
6	Ciaran Clark HG²	CB / LB	(1989-09-26)26 September 1989 (aged 26)	150	9
16	Joleon Lescott HG¹	CB	(1982-08-16)16 August 1982 (aged 33)	17	3
21	Alan Hutton	RB	(1984-11-30)30 November 1984 (aged 31)	86	1
23	Jordan Amavi U²¹	LB	(1994-03-09)9 March 1994 (aged 22)	12	0
26	Lewis Kinsella HG²/U²¹	LB	(1994-09-02)2 September 1994 (aged 21)	0	0
32	Janoi Donacien HG²	CB / RB	(1993-11-03)3 November 1993 (aged 22)	0	0	On loan at Newport County
33	José Ángel Crespo	LB / RB	(1987-02-09)9 February 1987 (aged 29)	2	0	On loan at Rayo Vallecano
43	Aly Cissokho	LB	(1987-09-15)15 September 1987 (aged 28)	34	0
–	Nathan Baker HG²	CB / LB	(1991-04-23)23 April 1991 (aged 25)	87	0	On loan at Bristol City
Midfielders
7	Leandro Bacuna	CM / RB / RWB	(1991-08-21)21 August 1991 (aged 24)	86	6
8	Idrissa Gueye	DM	(1989-09-26)26 September 1989 (aged 26)	24	1
9	Scott Sinclair HG¹	LW / RW	(1989-03-25)25 March 1989 (aged 27)	34	9
15	Ashley Westwood HG¹	CM	(1990-04-01)1 April 1990 (aged 26)	123	3
17	Jordan Veretout	CM	(1993-03-01)1 March 1993 (aged 23)	21	0
18	Kieran Richardson HG¹	LW / LB	(1984-10-21)21 October 1984 (aged 31)	36	0
20	Adama Traoré U²¹	RW	(1996-01-20)20 January 1996 (aged 20)	10	1
22	Gary Gardner HG²	CM	(1992-06-29)29 June 1992 (aged 24)	18	0	On loan at Nottingham Forest.
24	Carlos Sánchez	DM	(1986-02-06)6 February 1986 (aged 30)	48	1
25	Carles Gil	AM / RW	(1992-11-22)22 November 1992 (aged 23)	28	3
28	Charles N'Zogbia HG¹	LW / AM	(1986-05-28)28 May 1986 (aged 30)	92	5
38	Jordan Lyden HG² / U²¹	DM / CM / RB	(1997-01-01)1 January 1997 (aged 19)	2	0
40	Jack Grealish HG² / U²¹	LW / AM	(1995-09-10)10 September 1995 (aged 20)	39	1
Forwards
11	Gabriel Agbonlahor (club captain) HG²	ST / LW / RW	(1986-10-13)13 October 1986 (aged 29)	364	84
19	Jordan Ayew	ST	(1991-09-11)11 September 1991 (aged 24)	24	5
27	Libor Kozák	ST	(1989-05-30)30 May 1989 (aged 27)	19	4
37	Callum Robinson HG² / U²¹	ST	(1995-02-02)2 February 1995 (aged 21)	5	0	On loan at Preston North End
39	Rudy Gestede	ST	(1988-10-10)10 October 1988 (aged 27)	26	5

HG¹ = Association-trained player
HG² = Club-trained player
U²¹ = Under 21 players (Contract and Scholars)
EXC = Excluded from 25-man Premier League squad (players loaned out not counted)

Last updated: 8 February 2016.
Source: AVFC

Transfers

In

Summer

Position	Player	Transferred from	Fee	Date	Source
MF	Scott Sinclair	Manchester City	Undisclosed (~ £2,500,000)^[64]	19 May 2015^[a]	^[12]
DF	Micah Richards	Manchester City	Free transfer	17 June 2015^[b]	^[14]
GK	Mark Bunn	Norwich City	Free transfer	9 July 2015	^[18]
MF	Idrissa Gueye	Lille	Undisclosed (~ £9,000,000)^[65]	10 July 2015	^[19]
DF	Jordan Amavi	Nice	Undisclosed (~ £9,000,000)^[23]	18 July 2015	^[22]
FW	Jordan Ayew	Lorient	Undisclosed (~ £9,000,000)^[26]	27 July 2015	^[25]
DF	José Ángel Crespo	Córdoba	Undisclosed (~ £500,000)^[66]	28 July 2015	^[27]
MF	Jordan Veretout	Nantes	Undisclosed (~ £7,000,000)^[67]	31 July 2015	^[28]
FW	Rudy Gestede	Blackburn Rovers	Undisclosed (~ £6,000,000)^[68]	31 July 2015	^[29]
MF	Adama Traoré	Barcelona B	Undisclosed (~ £7,000,000)	14 August 2015	^[39]
DF	Joleon Lescott	West Bromwich Albion	Undisclosed (~£2,000,000)^[69]	1 September 2015	^[44]
GK	Matija Sarkic^[c]	Anderlecht	Undisclosed	1 September 2015	^[46]

Total incoming: Undisclosed (~ £52,000,000)

Out

Summer

Position	Player	Transferred to	Fee	Date	Source
FW	Darren Bent	Derby County^[d]	Free transfer (~ Released)	8 June 2015	^[13]^[70]
DF	Enda Stevens	Portsmouth^[e]	Free transfer (~ Released)	8 June 2015	^[13]^[71]
FW	Graham Burke	Notts County^[f]	Free transfer (~ Released)	8 June 2015	^[13]^[72]
FW	Andreas Weimann	Derby County	Undisclosed (~ £2,750,000)^[73]	18 June 2015	^[15]
MF	Yacouba Sylla	Rennes	Undisclosed	22 June 2015	^[74]
DF	Matthew Lowton	Burnley	Undisclosed (~ £1,000,000)^[75]	22 June 2015	^[76]
MF	Chris Herd	Chesterfield^[g]	Free transfer (~ Released)	1 July 2015	^[17]^[77]
DF	Ron Vlaar	AZ Alkmaar^[h]	Free transfer (~ End of contract)^[i]	1 July 2015	^[16]^[78]
FW	Nicklas Helenius	Aalborg BK	Free transfer (~ Mutual termination)	3 July 2015	^[79]
DF	Antonio Luna	Eibar	Free transfer (~ Mutual termination)	9 July 2015	^[80]
GK	Shay Given	Stoke City	Free transfer (~ Mutual termination)	10 July 2015	^[20]
MF	Fabian Delph	Manchester City	£8,000,000	17 July 2015	^[21]
FW	Christian Benteke	Liverpool	£32,500,000	22 July 2015	^[24]
MF	Aleksandar Tonev	Frosinone	Free transfer (~ Mutual termination)	27 August 2015	^[81]

Winter

Summer

Position:	Player	Transferred to	Fee	Date	Source
MF	Joe Cole	Coventry City	Free transfer	7 January 2016	^[82]
DF	Philippe Senderos	Grasshoppers^[j]	Free transfer (~ Mutual termination)	27 January 2016	^[83]^[84]

Total outgoing: Undisclosed (~ £44,250,000)

^ Signing was made permanent following loan the previous season.
^ Officially joined on 1 July 2015 following release from Manchester City.
^ Development squad player.
^ Signed for Derby County on 8 June 2015 following release from club.
^ Signed for Portsmouth on 15 June 2015 following release from club.
^ Signed for Notts County on 8 July 2015 following release from club.
^ Signed for Chesterfield on 11 September 2015 following release from club.
^ Signed for AZ on 7 December 2015 following release from club.
^ Rejected new contract offer from club.
^ Signed for Grasshoppers on 29 January 2016 following release from club.

Loans

In

Summer

Position	Player	Loaned from	Date	Duration	Return date	Notes	Source
DF	Tiago Ilori	Liverpool	1 September 2015	4 months	8 January 2016	Initially season-long; loan cancelled.	^[45]^[85]

Out

Summer

Position:	Player	Loaned to	Date	Duration	Return date	Notes	Source
DF	Aly Cissokho	Porto	5 August 2015	Five-month	18 December 2015	Initially season-long; player recalled.	^[32]^[33]
FW	Callum Robinson	Bristol City	7 August 2015	Season-long	30 June 2016		^[35]
DF	Janoi Donacien	Wycombe Wanderers	21 August 2015	One-month	19 September 2015		^[86]
DF	Nathan Baker	Bristol City	1 September 2015	Season-long	30 June 2016		^[47]
DF	Joe Bennett	Bournemouth	1 September 2015	Four-month	22 December 2015		^[48]^[87]

Winter

Position	Player	Loaned to	Date	Duration	Return date	Notes	Source
GK	Jed Steer	Huddersfield Town	11 September 2015	Two-month	11 November 2015	Loan extended on 15/10/15.	^[88]^[89]
DF	Janoi Donacien	Newport County	24 September 2015	One-month	24 October 2015		^[90]
MF	Joe Cole	Coventry City	19 October 2015	One-month	24 November 2015		^[91]
DF	Janoi Donacien	Newport County	29 October 2015	Two-month	30 June 2016	Loan extended on 31/12/15.	^[92]^[93]
GK	Jed Steer	Huddersfield Town	26 November 2015	One-month	26 December 2015		^[94]
GK	Jed Steer	Huddersfield Town	2 January 2016	Six-month	30 June 2016		^[95]
FW	Callum Robinson	Preston North End	6 January 2015	Six-month	30 June 2016		^[96]
MF	Gary Gardner	Nottingham Forest	6 January 2015	Six-month	30 June 2016		^[97]
DF	Joe Bennett	Sheffield Wednesday	19 January 2015	Six-month	30 June 2016		^[98]
DF	José Ángel Crespo	Rayo Vallecano	20 January 2015	Six-month	30 June 2016		^[99]

Overall transfer activity

Spending

Summer: Undisclosed (~ £52,000,000)

Total: Undisclosed (~ £52,000,000)

Income

Summer: Undisclosed (~ £44,250,000)

Total: Undisclosed (~ £44,250,000)

Net expenditure

Summer: Undisclosed (~ £7,750,000)

Total: Undisclosed (~ £7,750,000)

Pre-season friendlies

11 July 2015 (2015-07-11) Training match	Fulham	3–1	Aston Villa	Albufeira, Portugal
18:30 BST	Smith 22' Kačaniklić 67' McCormack 86'	^[100] Report	Kozák 56'	Stadium: Estadio Da Nora

17 July 2015 (2015-07-17) Training match	Braga	0–0	Aston Villa	Albufeira, Portugal
18:30 BST		^[100] Report		Stadium: Estadio Da Nora

21 July 2015 (2015-07-21) Friendly	Swindon Town	0–2	Aston Villa	Swindon
19:45 BST		^[100] Report	Sinclair 29' Sellars 82'	Stadium: County Ground

22 July 2015 (2015-07-22) Friendly	Forest Green Rovers	0–3	Aston Villa XI	Nailsworth
19:30 BST		^[100] Report	Tonev 20' Sellars 80' (pen.), 82'	Stadium: The New Lawn

25 July 2015 (2015-07-25) Friendly	Walsall	1–1	Aston Villa	Walsall
15:00 BST	Forde 44'	^[100] Report	Robinson 22'	Stadium: Banks's Stadium Attendance: 6.606

28 July 2015 (2015-07-28) Friendly	Wolverhampton Wanderers	2–2	Aston Villa	Wolverhampton
19:45 BST	Edwards 72' Afobe 89'	^[100] Report	Kozák 6', 76'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 22,070

29 July 2015 (2015-07-29) Friendly	Tamworth	3–0	Aston Villa XI	Tamworth
19:30 BST	Newton 2' Morrell 83', 90+2'	^[101] Report		Stadium: The Lamb Ground

1 August 2015 (2015-08-01) Friendly	Nottingham Forest	3–3	Aston Villa	Nottingham
15:00 BST	Blackstock 1' Lansbury 80' Wilson 90'	^[100] Report	Sinclair 21', 52', 64'	Stadium: City Ground

Competitions

Overall record

Competition	Started round	Final position / round	First match	Last match
Premier League	Matchday 1	20th (relegated)	8 August 2015	15 May 2016
FA Cup	Third round	Fourth round	9 January 2016	30 January 2016
League Cup	Second round	Fourth round	25 August 2015	28 October 2015

Source: Competitions

Overview

Games played	44 (38 Premier League, 3 FA Cup, 3 League Cup)
Games won	6 (3 Premier League, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cup)
Games drawn	9 (8 Premier League, 1 FA Cup)
Games lost	29 (27 Premier League, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Goals scored	37 (27 Premier League, 3 FA Cup, 7 League Cup)
Goals conceded	86 (76 Premier League, 5 FA Cup, 5 League Cup)
Total goal difference	-49 (−49 Premier League, −2 FA Cup, +2 League Cup)
Clean sheets	8 (6 Premier League, 1 FA Cup, 1 League Cup)
Yellow Cards	80 (71 Premier League, 5 FA Cup, 4 League Cup)
Red Cards	2 (2 Premier League)
Most appearances	Gestede (34)
Most minutes played	Guzan (2020)
Top scorer	Ayew Gestede Sinclair (6)
Worst Discipline	Ayew (6 1 )
Points	17
Best Result	2–0 v Wycombe Wanderers, FA Cup (19/1/16) / Norwich City, Premier League (6/2/16)
Worst Result	0–6 v Liverpool, Premier League (13/02/16)

Overview

Competition	Record
Competition	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Premier League	38	3	8	27	27	76	−49	007.89
FA Cup	3	1	1	1	3	5	−2	033.33
League Cup	3	2	0	1	7	5	+2	066.67
Total	44	6	9	29	37	86	−49	013.64

Source: Competitions

Premier League

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
16	Bournemouth	38	11	9	18	45	67	−22	42
17	Sunderland	38	9	12	17	48	62	−14	39
18	Newcastle United (R)	38	9	10	19	44	65	−21	37	Relegation to EFL Championship
19	Norwich City (R)	38	9	7	22	39	67	−28	34
20	Aston Villa (R)	38	3	8	27	27	76	−49	17

Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champion, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).^[102]
(R) Relegated

Results summary


Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
38	3	8	27	27	76	−49	17	2	5	12	14	35	−21	1	3	15	13	41	−28

Source: Soccerway

Results by matchday

Matchday	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38
Ground	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A
Result	W	L	L	D	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	D	L	L	D	L	D	D	L	L	W	D	D	L	W	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	L	D	L
Position	5	7	12	12	15	17	18	18	18	19	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20

Source: Soccerway
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

On 17 June 2015, the fixtures for the forthcoming season were announced.^[103]

Win Draw Loss Upcoming fixture

8 August 2015 (2015-08-08) 1	Bournemouth	0–1	Aston Villa	Bournemouth
15:00 BST	King 24' Cook 41' Gosling 80'	Report	Clark 45+1' Gestede 72' Bacuna 74'^[104] Gueye 75' Westwood 90+2'	Stadium: Dean Court Attendance: 11,155 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

14 August 2015 (2015-08-14) 2	Aston Villa	0–1	Manchester United	Birmingham
19:45 BST	Ayew 71' Gueye 90+1'	Report	Januzaj 29' Herrera 74' Darmian 84'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 42,200 Referee: Mike Dean

22 August 2015 (2015-08-22) 3	Crystal Palace	2–1	Aston Villa	Selhurst
15:00 BST	Ward 18' Cabaye 50' Dann 71' Sako 87' Puncheon 90'	Report	Gestede 55' Souaré 77' (o.g.) Clark 84' Bacuna 86'	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 25,295 Referee: Keith Stroud

29 August 2015 (2015-08-29) 4	Aston Villa	2–2	Sunderland	Birmingham
15:00 BST	Sinclair 11' (pen.), 41' Clark 37' Gil 79'	Report	M'Vila 8' Lens 52' Pantilimon 90'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 35,399 Referee: Bobby Madley

13 September 2015 (2015-09-13) 5	Leicester City	3–2	Aston Villa	Leicester
16:00 BST	Albrighton 45+1' De Laet 72' Vardy 82' Dyer 77', 89'	Report	Grealish 39' Gil 63' Amavi 81'	Stadium: King Power Stadium Attendance: 31,733 Referee: Mike Dean

19 September 2015 (2015-09-19) 6	Aston Villa	0–1	West Bromwich Albion	Birmingham
15:00 BST	Gil 62' Amavi 82'	Report	Brunt 21' Morrison 34' Berahino 39' Yacob 78'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 36,321 Referee: Martin Atkinson

26 September 2015 (2015-09-26) 7	Liverpool	3–2	Aston Villa	Liverpool
15:00 BST	Milner 2' Sturridge 59', 67'	Report	Gestede 66', 71'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,228 Referee: Jon Moss

3 October 2015 (2015-10-03) 8	Aston Villa	0–1	Stoke City	Birmingham
15:00 BST	Westwood 44'	Report	Arnautović 55'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 33,189 Referee: Mike Jones

17 October 2015 (2015-10-17) 9	Chelsea	2–0	Aston Villa	Fulham
15:00 BST	Costa 34' Hutton 54' (o.g.) Willian 74'	Report	Ayew 49' Richardson 62' Grealish 85'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 41,596 Referee: Roger East

24 October 2015 (2015-10-24) 10	Aston Villa	1–2	Swansea City	Birmingham
15:00 BST	Richards 31' J. Ayew 62' Richardson 77'	Report	Naughton 29' Williams 31' Sigurðsson 68', 73' A. Ayew 87'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 33,324 Referee: Neil Swarbrick

2 November 2015 (2015-11-02) 11	Tottenham Hotspur	3–1	Aston Villa	Tottenham
20:00 GMT	Dembélé 3' Alli 45+1' Kane 90+3'	Report	Ayew 42', 79' Richardson 67' Hutton 90+2'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 34,882 Referee: Mike Dean

8 November 2015 (2015-11-08) 12	Aston Villa	0–0	Manchester City	Birmingham
13:30 GMT	Guzan 90+2'	Report	Otamendi 39'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 36,757 Referee: Craig Pawson

21 November 2015 (2015-11-21) 13	Everton	4–0	Aston Villa	Liverpool
15:00 GMT	Barkley 17', 43' Lukaku 29', 59'	Report		Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 38,424 Referee: Michael Oliver

28 November 2015 (2015-11-28) 14	Aston Villa	2–3	Watford	Birmingham
15:00 GMT	Richards 41' Clark 85' Ayew 89' Sánchez 90+9'	Report	Ighalo 17' Watson 40' Hutton 69' (o.g.) Capoue 74' Deeney 85', 86' Aké 90+8'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 35,057 Referee: Lee Mason

5 December 2015 (2015-12-05) 15	Southampton	1–1	Aston Villa	Southampton
15:00 GMT	Ward-Prowse 30' Romeu 73'	Report	Lescott 44' Hutton 89' Guzan 90'	Stadium: St. Mary's Stadium Attendance: 29,645 Referee: Anthony Taylor

13 December 2015 (2015-12-13) 16	Aston Villa	0–2	Arsenal	Birmingham
13:30 GMT		Report	Giroud 8' (pen.) Ramsey 38'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 33,285 Referee: Kevin Friend

19 December 2015 17	Newcastle United	1–1	Aston Villa	Newcastle upon Tyne
17:30	Coloccini 38' Dummett 41'	Report	Ayew 61', 79' Bacuna 77' Westwood 84'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 48,234 Referee: Martin Atkinson

26 December 2015 18	Aston Villa	1–1	West Ham United	Birmingham
15:00 GMT	Bacuna 12' Ayew 62' (pen.) Hutton 78' Lescott 90'	Report	Ogbonna 13' Cresswell 45' Collins 58' Kouyaté 74'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 38,193 Referee: Mike Dean

28 December 2015 19	Norwich City	2–0	Aston Villa	Norwich
15:00 GMT	Howson 24' Bennett 61' Mbokani 87' Martin 90+3'	Report	Veretout 42' Gueye 77' Ayew 90' Westwood 90+2' Richards 90+3'	Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 27,071 Referee: Graham Scott

2 January 2016 20	Sunderland	3–1	Aston Villa	Sunderland
15:00 GMT	Brown 26' Van Aanholt 30' Borini 33' Defoe 72', 90+2' Cattermole 90+5'	Report	Hutton 43' Gil 63', 87' Traoré 69' Gestede 90+5'	Stadium: Stadium of Light Attendance: 41,535 Referee: Craig Pawson

12 January 2016 (2016-01-12) 21	Aston Villa	1–0	Crystal Palace	Birmingham
19:45 GMT	Hennessey 58' (o.g.) Veretout 68' Gueye 80'	Report	Ward 79'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 28,245 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

16 January 2016 (2016-01-16) 22	Aston Villa	1–1	Leicester City	Birmingham
17:30 GMT	Bunn 14' Cissokho 32' Gestede 75' Bacuna 85'	Report	Okazaki 28' Huth 76' Vardy 85'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 32,763 Referee: Roger East

23 January 2016 (2016-01-23) 23	West Bromwich Albion	0–0	Aston Villa	West Bromwich
15:00 GMT		Report	Richards 41'	Stadium: The Hawthorns Attendance: 26,165 Referee: Bobby Madley

2 February 2016 (2016-02-02) 24	West Ham United	2–0	Aston Villa	Upton Park
19:45 GMT	Song 48' Antonio 58' Collins 67' Noble 69' Kouyaté 85'	Report	Ayew 17'	Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 34,914 Referee: Jon Moss

6 February 2016 (2016-02-06) 25	Aston Villa	2–0	Norwich City	Birmingham
15:00 GMT	Klose 45' (o.g.) Agbonlahor 51'	Report	Howson 12' Klose 77'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 32,742 Referee: Martin Atkinson

14 February 2016 (2016-02-14) 26	Aston Villa	0–6	Liverpool	Birmingham
14:05 GMT	Bacuna 42' Westwood 65' Veretout 77'	Report	Sturridge 16' Milner 25' Can 58' Origi 63' Clyne 65' Touré 71' Stewart 84'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 35,798 Referee: Neil Swarbrick

27 February 2016 (2016-02-27) 27	Stoke City	2–1	Aston Villa	Stoke-on-Trent
15:00 GMT	Arnautović 51' (pen.), 56'	Report	Gueye 36' Hutton 45' Bacuna 79' Okore 90+4'	Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 27,703 Referee: Kevin Friend

1 March 2016 (2016-03-01) 28	Aston Villa	1–3	Everton	Birmingham
19:45 GMT	Clark 13' Gueye 20' Bacuna 27' Gestede 79'	Report	Funes Mori 5' Lennon 20' Lukaku 44', 60'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 29,755 Referee: Roger East

5 March 2016 (2016-03-05) 29	Manchester City	4–0	Aston Villa	Manchester
15:00 GMT	Touré 48' Agüero 50', 60' Sterling 66'	Report	Veretout 45'	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 53,892 Referee: Lee Mason

13 March 2016 (2016-03-13) 30	Aston Villa	0–2	Tottenham Hotspur	Birmingham
16:00 GMT		Report	Kane 45', 48'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 32,323 Referee: Anthony Taylor

19 March 2016 (2016-03-19) 31	Swansea City	1–0	Aston Villa	Swansea
18:30 GMT	Fernández 53' Sigurðsson 59' Routledge 87' Britton 90'	Report	Cissokho 27' Lescott 90'	Stadium: Liberty Stadium Attendance: 20,454 Referee: Mike Dean

2 April 2016 (2016-04-02) 32	Aston Villa	0–4	Chelsea	Birmingham
12:45 GMT	Gueye 28' Cissokho 45' Sánchez 61' Hutton 78' 85' Westwood 87'	Report	Loftus-Cheek 26' Fàbregas 29' Pato 45' Pedro 46', 59'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 31,120 Referee: Neil Swarbrick

9 April 2016 33	Aston Villa	1–2	Bournemouth	Birmingham
15:00 BST	Gueye 36' Ayew 85', 90'	Report	Cook 27', 45+2' Daniels 32' King 74'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 31,057 Referee: Martin Atkinson

16 April 2016 34	Manchester United	1–0	Aston Villa	Manchester
15:00 BST	Rashford 32'	Report	Richardson 65'	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 75,411 Referee: Kevin Friend

23 April 2016 35	Aston Villa	2–4	Southampton	Birmingham
15:00 BST	Westwood 45+1', 85' Hutton 58' Gueye 85'	Report	Long 15' Tadić 39', 71' Mané 90+4'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 29,729 Referee: Neil Swarbrick

30 April 2016 36	Watford	3–2	Aston Villa	Watford
15:00 BST	Abdi 45+2', 82' Berghuis 78' Deeney 90', 90+3'	Report	Clark 28' Bacuna 41' Gueye 45' Ayew 48' Cissokho 73' Bunn 77'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 20,653 Referee: Anthony Taylor

7 May 2016 37	Aston Villa	0–0	Newcastle United	Birmingham
15:00	Clark 59'	Report		Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 33,055 Referee: Bobby Madley

15 May 2016 38	Arsenal	4–0	Aston Villa	London
15:00	Giroud 5', 78', 80' Bunn 90+2' (o.g.)	Report	Sánchez 39'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 60,007 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

FA Cup

9 January 2016 (2016-01-09) Third round	Wycombe Wanderers	1–1	Aston Villa	High Wycombe
15:00 BST	Jacobson 50' (pen.) Amadi-Holloway 52' Harriman 90+1'	Report	Richards 22' Westwood 49'	Stadium: Adams Park Attendance: 9,298 Referee: Michael Oliver

19 January 2016 (2016-01-19) Replay	Aston Villa	2–0	Wycombe Wanderers	Birmingham
19:45 BST	Clark 75' Gueye 90'	Report	Jacobson 81'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 20,706 Referee: Craig Pawson

30 January 2016 (2016-01-30) Fourth round	Aston Villa	0–4	Manchester City	Birmingham
15:00 BST	Bacuna 27' Westwood 45+2'	Report	Iheanacho 4', 24' (pen.), 74' Sterling 27', 76' Zabaleta 69'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 23,636 Referee: Mike Jones

League Cup

25 August 2015 (2015-08-25) Second round	Aston Villa	5–3 (a.e.t.)	Notts County	Birmingham
19:45 BST	Traoré 24' Bunn 45+2' Sinclair 50', 78' (pen.), 99' Bennett 111'	^[38] Report	Burke 10', 56' Snijders 16' Stead 45+2' (pen.) Amevor 53' Aborah 109'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 21,430 Referee: Chris Kavanagh

22 September 2015 (2015-09-22) Third round	Aston Villa	1–0	Birmingham City	Birmingham
19:45 BST	Agbonlahor 22' Clark 41' Gestede 62' Westwood 80'	^[43] Report	Morrison 78'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 34,442 Referee: Bobby Madley

27 October 2015 (2015-10-27) Fourth round	Southampton	2–1	Aston Villa	Southampton
19:45 GMT	Yoshida 51' Pellè 77'	^[105] Report	Sinclair 90+4' (pen.)	Stadium: St Mary's Stadium Attendance: 31,314 Referee: Keith Stroud

Statistics

Appearances

No.	Nat.	Player	Start	Sub	Start	Sub	Start	Sub	Start	Sub
No.	Nat.	Player	Premier League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total		Notes
Goalkeepers
1		Guzan	28	–	2	–	2	–	32	0
13		Steer	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0	^{[Note 1]}
31		Bunn	10	–	1	–	1	–	12	0
Defenders
2		Baker	–	–	–	–	1	–	1	0	^{[Note 2]}
2		Ilori	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0	^{[Note 3]}
3		Bennett	–	–	–	–	–	1	0	1	^{[Note 4]}^{[Note 5]}
4		Richards	23	1	3	–	1	–	27	1
5		Okore	12	–	1	1	–	–	13	1
6		Clark	16	2	3	–	2	–	21	2
16		Lescott	30	–	–	–	1	–	31	0
21		Hutton	26	2	–	–	2	–	28	2
23		Amavi	9	1	–	–	2	–	11	1
26		Kinsella	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0
32		Donacien	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0	^{[Note 6]} ^{[Note 7]}^{[Note 8]}
33		Crespo	1	–	–	–	1	–	2	0	^{[Note 9]}
43		Cissokho	18	–	1	–	–	–	19	0	^{[Note 10]}
46		Toner	1	–	–	–	–	–	1	0
Midfielders
7		Bacuna	27	4	2	–	2	–	31	4
8		Gueye	35	–	2	1	–	–	37	1
9		Sinclair	19	8	3	–	2	1	24	9
12		Cole	–	–	–	–	–	1	0	1	^{[Note 11]}
15		Westwood	31	1	3	–	2	–	36	1
17		Veretout	21	4	–	2	2	–	23	6
18		Richardson	8	3	2	–	2	–	12	3
20		Traoré	–	10	–	–	1	–	1	10
22		Gardner	–	–	–	–	–	–	0	0	^{[Note 12]}
24		Sánchez	16	4	1	–	2	–	19	4
25		Gil	17	6	3	–	1	–	21	6
28		N'Zogbia	–	2	–	–	–	–	0	2
38		Lyden	2	2	–	–	–	–	2	2
40		Grealish	9	7	1	1	1	2	12	9
Forwards
11		Agbonlahor	13	2	–	1	2	–	14	4
19		Ayew	27	3	2	1	1	2	30	6
27		Kozák	3	1	–	–	–	1	3	2
39		Gestede	14	18	2	–	2	–	18	18

Notes

^ Loaned to Huddersfield Town on 11 September 2015, 26 November 2015 & 2 January 2016.
^ Loaned to Bristol City on 1 September 2015.
^ Loaned from Liverpool on 1 September 2015. Loan cancelled on 7 January 2016
^ Loaned to Bournemouth on 1 September 2015. Loan cancelled on 22 December 2015.
^ Loaned to Sheffield Wednesday on 20 January 2016.
^ Loaned to Wycombe Wanderers on 21 August 2015, returned 19 September 2015.
^ Loaned to Newport County on 24 September 2015, returned 25 October 2015.
^ Loaned to Newport County on 29 October 2015.
^ Loaned to Rayo Vallecano on 20 January 2016.
^ Recalled from season-long loan at Porto on 18 December 2015.
^ Loaned to Coventry City on 19 October 2015. Joined permanently on 7 January 2016.
^ Loaned to Nottingham Forest on 8 January 2016.

|} Last updated: 4 April 2016.
Source: World Football

Players without appearances before going out on season-long loans.^[106]

Goalscorers

Correct as of 6 February 2016
Players with the same number of goals are listed by their position on the club's official website Source
Players highlighted in light grey denote the player had scored for the club before leaving for another club
Players highlighted in light cyan^{[broken anchor]} denote the player has scored for the club after arriving at Aston Villa during the season
Players highlighted in Blonde denote the player had scored for the club before leaving the club on loan for part/the rest of the season

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[65] Signing was made permanent following loan the previous season.

[66] Officially joined on 1 July 2015 following release from Manchester City.

[72] Development squad player.

[73] Signed for Derby County on 8 June 2015 following release from club.

[75] Signed for Portsmouth on 15 June 2015 following release from club.

[77] Signed for Notts County on 8 July 2015 following release from club.

[83] Signed for Chesterfield on 11 September 2015 following release from club.

[85] Signed for AZ on 7 December 2015 following release from club.

[86] Rejected new contract offer from club.

[92] Signed for Grasshoppers on 29 January 2016 following release from club.

[Loaned_to_Huddersfield-116] Loaned to Huddersfield Town on 11 September 2015, 26 November 2015 & 2 January 2016.

[Loaned_to_Bristol_City-117] Loaned to Bristol City on 1 September 2015.

[Loaned_from_Liverpool-118] Loaned from Liverpool on 1 September 2015. Loan cancelled on 7 January 2016

[Loaned_to_Bournemouth-119] Loaned to Bournemouth on 1 September 2015. Loan cancelled on 22 December 2015.

[Loaned_to_Sheff_Weds-120] Loaned to Sheffield Wednesday on 20 January 2016.

[Loaned_to_Wycombe-121] Loaned to Wycombe Wanderers on 21 August 2015, returned 19 September 2015.

[Loaned_to_Newport-122] Loaned to Newport County on 24 September 2015, returned 25 October 2015.

[Loaned_to_Newport2-123] Loaned to Newport County on 29 October 2015.

[Loaned_to_Rayo-124] Loaned to Rayo Vallecano on 20 January 2016.

[Recalled-125] Recalled from season-long loan at Porto on 18 December 2015.

[Coventry-126] Loaned to Coventry City on 19 October 2015. Joined permanently on 7 January 2016.

[Loaned_to_Forest-127] Loaned to Nottingham Forest on 8 January 2016.

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2015–16 Aston Villa F.C. season

Key events

Players

First team squad

Transfers

In

Out

Loans

In

Out

Overall transfer activity

Pre-season friendlies

Competitions

Overall record

Overview

Overview

Premier League

League table

Results summary

Results by matchday

Matches

FA Cup

League Cup

Statistics

Appearances

Goalscorers

€4.95