Pre-season The club announced its pre-season plans would begin with a tour of Germany. The tour took place between 10 and 14 July 2013 and saw Villa play three games against SV Rodinghausen,
SC Paderborn and
VfL Bochum, all which finished 1–1. The club then returned to England to play four more games against
Wycombe Wanderers (finished 2–2),
Luton Town(finished 2–0 to Luton),
Crewe Alexandra (finished 5–1 to Villa) and
Walsall (finished 5–0 to Villa). The penultimate pre-season game saw Villa travel to the
Republic of Ireland for a match against
Shamrock Rovers (finished 2–0 to Villa), before a match at
Villa Park against
Málaga (finished 3–2 to Villa), completed the schedule. The
Premier League fixtures were announced on 19 June, and Villa faced
Arsenal at the
Emirates Stadium in the first game of the season on 17 August. Coincidentally, this repeated the opening day fixture of the
2006–07 season. Villa then hosted
Liverpool a week later in their first top flight home game of the season. The first
West Midlands derby of the season, against
West Bromwich Albion, was played at
The Hawthorns on 23 November, with the return game at Villa Park taking place on 28 January 2014. Villa faced the first of the promoted clubs on 5 October, with a game against
Hull City at the
KC Stadium. Games against
Cardiff City and
Crystal Palace take place at Villa Park on 9 November and 26 December respectively. On 13 June, Villa continued recruiting players early as they signed both
Jores Okore and
Leandro Bacuna from
Nordsjælland and
Groningen respectively. Okore, a 20-year-old
Danish international, stated"I want to bring something new to our game and really help the team into a new era.' He also acknowledged 'we have a good coach and this is a really good club. This is the right club for me, I feel it straight away." Upon his arrival, Bacuna said, "It's a new beginning for me, a new step and I'm looking forward to being part of this young, hungry team we have at Villa." Villa's fourth signing was confirmed five days later, as
Nicklas Helenius signed a three-year deal and they then completed their fifth signing with left-back
Antonio Luna sealing a move on20 June. On 26 June, the club announced they had agreed a deal with
Norwich City to sign
goalkeeper Jed Steer to serve as back-up to
Brad Guzan. The 20-year-old will join on a
free transfer on 1 July. It was announced that
Jean Makoun would be the first player to leave Villa in the summer, as
Rennes made his loan move from the
previous season permanent on 30 March 2013.The player officially left on 1 July. On 5 June,
Richard Dunne,
Eric Lichaj and
Andy Marshall left the club after being released from the first-team as their contracts had expired.Four academy players: Callum Barrett, Daniel Devine, Josh Barton and
Courtney Cameron were also released. Additionally,
Simon Dawkins returned to
Tottenham Hotspur after his loan had finished. On 22 June, the club confirmed that
Brett Holman's contract had been terminated by mutual consent, freeing the player to join
UAE team
Al-Nasr. Young defender
Derrick Williams became the next player to leave the club, after he turned down a new deal with Villa to join
Bristol City. On 8 July, reports surfaced that
Christian Benteke had handed in a transfer request at Villa. This was later confirmed by the club, who stated that he will be allowed to leave if a suitable offer is made "within an appropriate timeframe". Just 11 days later (19 July), Benteke made a
U-turn and withdrew his transfer request, simultaneously signing a new four-year deal with club.On 8 August, after signing a new contract in the summer, 19-year-old forward
Graham Burke joined
Shrewsbury Town on loan until January 2014. Two days later (10 August), the last season's
NextGen captain,
Samir Carruthers, joined
League One side
Milton Keynes Dons on loan until January. On 16 August,
record signing Darren Bent joined
Fulham on an initial season-long loan.
Nathan Delfouneso re-joined
Blackpool on loan, until 1 January, on the same day. On transfer deadline day Villa signed
Czech forward
Libor Kozák, the top scorer in the
2012–13 UEFA Europa League, from
Lazio. He joined on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to be between £5–7 million.
Barry Bannan left the club, after nine years, to join
Crystal Palace for an undisclosed fee and
Stephen Ireland joined
Stoke City on a season-long loan.
August The draw for the
2013–14 League Cup second round took place on 8 August. Villa faced
Rotherham United of
League One at
Villa Park, on 28 August. Villa began the season with a 1–3 away win over Arsenal at Emirates Stadium, becoming the first team to beat the Gunners on the opening day in 13 years.
Olivier Giroud sent the hosts into an early lead, but a Christian Benteke double and a debut goal for Antonio Luna gave Villa the victory. Four days later, Villa faced
Chelsea at
Stamford Bridge in a rescheduled fixture. Chelsea won 2–1 but the match saw two controversial refereeing decisions go against Villa. The first involved
Branislav Ivanović (who went on to score the winner in the 73rd minute) escaping a sending off for an elbow on Christian Benteke and the second a late penalty being denied, after the ball had hit
John Terry on the arm. The first game of the season at Villa Park, and also the club's third game in seven days, was against
Liverpool, where a first half
Daniel Sturridge goal gave the away side a 0–1 win. On 28 August, Villa made it through to the
League Cup third round after beating
Rotherham United 3–0. The match was also the first time in 30 competitive outings that Villa had kept a clean sheet. Villa then drew Tottenham, played on 24 September.
September Villa's first game after the international break ended up in a defeat to
Newcastle United. Newcastle won the match 2–1, with goals from
Hatem Ben Arfa and
Yoan Gouffran cancelling outChristian Benteke's equaliser. It was later confirmed that defender
Jores Okore had sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury during the match, and would be out for up to nine months. The next match saw
Paul Lambert win again at
Carrow Road against former club
Norwich City, as Villa ran out 1–0 winners. Libor Kozák got the winner, his first goal for the club, just seconds after replacing the injured Benteke. It also marked the first time in 26 league matches that Villa had kept a clean sheet. Three days later, it was confirmed that Benteke would be out for up to six weeks with a hip flexor injury. The day after the confirmation of Benteke's injury (26 September), Villa were eliminated from the
League Cup after being beaten 0–4 by Tottenham. Villa had gone into the match with eight first team players out injured. However the result didn't dishearten the players, as the next match resulted in a 3–2 win against
Manchester City. City had twice led through
Yaya Touré and
Edin Džeko but goals from
Karim El Ahmadi,
Leandro Bacuna and
Andreas Weimann saw Villa earn their first points at
home of the season.
October An uneventful 0–0 draw at
Hull City followed the Manchester City victory, as Villa recorded their first draw and second clean sheet of the season. After a two-week international break, Villa returned to league action against Tottenham Hotspur. The game finished 0–2 to Spurs, after goals from
Andros Townsend and
Roberto Soldado. Christian Benteke made his comeback from injury after coming on as a 61st-minute substitute. This defeat was followed by another, again at home, as
Everton left Villa Park with three points courtesy of a 2–0 win. Benteke had a first half penalty saved by
Tim Howard and Villa were made to rue this missed opportunity, as two second half goals from
Romelu Lukaku and
Leon Osman sealed an Everton victory.
November A 0–0 draw against
West Ham United extended Villa's winless, and goalless, run to four games. This run was eventually ended in the next match with a 2–0 victory over
Cardiff City at Villa Park. Leandro Bacuna and Libor Kozák both scored their second goals for the club and Villa kept their first clean sheet at home for 17 games, as well as first back-to-back clean sheets since November 2012. Villa returned to action, after another international break, in the first
West Midlands derby of the season against
West Bromwich Albion. West Brom raced into a 2–0 lead within 11 minutes after two goals from
Shane Long but Villa responded in the second half as
Karim El Ahmadi pulled one back.
Ashley Westwood then rescued a point for Villa with a goal from 25-yards out, his first for the club, as the match finished 2–2. Villa finished the month with a 0–0 draw against
Sunderland at Villa Park.
December Villa produced a great result in their first game of December, by beating
Southampton 2–3 at
St Mary's. Southampton twice equalised after Villa had led through
Gabriel Agbonlahor's first goal of the season and then a Libor Kozák header.
Fabian Delph grabbed the winner ten minutes from time with a 25-yard strike, his first ever Premier League goal. However four days later Villa suffered only their second away defeat of the season, after a disappointing performance in an eventual 2–0 defeat against
Fulham. On the same day, Villa drew
Sheffield United in the
third round of the
FA Cup.
Manchester United were the visitors in the next game, and they left Villa Park with all three points after a 0–3 victory. A brace from
Danny Welbeck and a third from
Tom Cleverley gave the
champions their first win in four games. Villa then slipped to a third consecutive defeat as they were beaten 2–1 by
Stoke City at the
Britannia Stadium.
Charlie Adam and
Peter Crouch scored either side of Libor Kozák's fourth of the season. The traditional
Boxing Day fixture saw Villa face
Crystal Palace at Villa Park and resulted in a fourth straight defeat for the Claret and Blues. The match looked as though it would end in stalemate, however Eagles' substitute
Dwight Gayle fired in a 92nd-minute winner. Villa eventually stopped the rot with a 1–1 draw against
Swansea City, in their last game of 2013.
Gabriel Agbonlahor gave Villa an early lead but
Roland Lamah equalised for the Swans before half-time, as it finished all square.
January Villa started the new year with victory over
Sunderland at the
Stadium of Light.
Gabriel Agbonlahor scored the only goal, repeating the outcome of the match
the season before. However, Villa were then knocked out of the
FA Cup by a lower league team for a second consecutive season. This time it was
Sheffield United who condemned Villa to defeat, after winning 2–1 at
Villa Park. The defeat came days after it was revealed that striker Libor Kozák would miss the rest of the season after breaking his leg in training. The next match saw the same result for Villa, as Arsenal ran out 2–1 winners at Villa Park. Arsenal all but wrapped up the win before half time, after two goals in a minute from
Jack Wilshere and
Olivier Giroud. Christian Benteke ensured a nervy end for Arsenal, with his first goal since September, but they held on for all three points. Villa earned a point at
Anfield next, despite leading
Liverpool 2–0 at one point. The
Merseysiders equalised through goals from Daniel Sturridge and a
Steven Gerrard penalty, after Andreas Weimann and Christian Benteke had put Villa two goals to the good.Villa followed up their impressive performance against
Liverpool, with a 4–3 win in a pulsating derby with
West Bromwich Albion. Albion had gone 2–0 up in the first nine minutes but, just as at
The Hawthorns earlier in the season, Villa fought back to 2–2. Fabian Delph then put Villa into the lead with a wonder–strike, before
Youssouf Mulumbu again drew the teams level before half-time. Christian Benteke then won and converted a penalty, his third goal in successive matches, which won it for Villa. Villa made their first January signing on 14 January, when
Grant Holt joined on loan from
Wigan Athletic until the end of the season. Three days later Villa brought in a second player on loan, in left-back
Ryan Bertrand from
Chelsea.
Stephen Ireland left the club after three and a half years, as his loan move to
Stoke City was made permanent on 14 January. On 30 January,
Nathan Delfouneso left the club on loan for the second time of the season, joining
Coventry City.
February Villa could not continue their good form into their next match, as they went down 1–2 at
Everton. Leandro Bacuna had given Villa the lead but the Toffees emerged victorious after goals from
Steven Naismith and
Kevin Mirallas. Villa then proceeded to lose their eighth league match at home, after a 0–2 defeat to
West Ham United, courtesy of two goals in two minutes from
Kevin Nolan. Another disappointing result followed as despite a number of clear-cut goalscoring opportunities, Villa had to settle for a 0–0 draw at
Cardiff City. Villa then lost their last game of February, 1–0 against
Newcastle United, meaning they only acquired one point from a possible 12 in the month. This left Villa just four points off the relegation places, despite them lying in 13th place.
March Villa somewhat made amends for their poor results in February, with a 4–1 home win against
Norwich City in their first match of March. First half goals from Christian Benteke (2), Leandro Bacuna and an own goal from
Sébastien Bassong gave Villa the victory, after
Wes Hoolahan had given Norwich an early lead. Villa followed the victory with another, this time against league leaders
Chelsea. Fabian Delph scored the only goal with a deft flick, in a match where Chelsea finished with nine men after having
Willian and
Ramires sent off, as well as manager
José Mourinho being sent to the stands late on. The result also marked the first time in three and a half years that Villa had won consecutive home games. However Villa's season-long inconsistency, especially at home, continued in their next match as they went down 1–4 to
Stoke City. It looked as though Villa would continue where they left off in their last match, as
Christian Benteke gave them the lead in the first five minutes. However three first half goals from
Peter Odemwingie,
Peter Crouch and
Steven Nzonzi effectively ended the match as a contest, before
Geoff Cameron ensured that Villa's home resurgence was abruptly ended. Villa lost by the same margin in their next match, this time against Manchester United. Ashley Westwood had scored a free-kick to give Villa an early lead but United had turned it around by half time, courtesy of two
Wayne Rooney goals. In the second half, goals from
Juan Mata and
Javier Hernández condemned Villa to a consecutive 1–4 defeat.
April On 3 April, news broke that Christian Benteke would be out for "a minimum of six months" with a ruptured Achilles tendon injury. The injury, that occurred in training, will rule the Belgian out of the rest of Villa's season as well as the
2014 FIFA World Cup. It didn't get any better for Villa as their next match again ended in defeat at home, this time to bottom club Fulham. The visitors took the lead before Grant Holt equalised with his first goal for the club, however
Hugo Rodallega gave Fulham a survival lifeline with an 86th-minute winner. A further loss followed, this time against
Crystal Palace. A
Jason Puncheon strike gave Palace a 1–0 victory and saw Villa lose their fourth game in a row, resulting in them being just four points above the relegation zone. Villa's poor run culminated in the suspensions of assistant manager
Ian Culverhouse and head of football operations Gary Karsa, pending an internal investigation. Development team coach
Gordon Cowans and veteran goalkeeper
Shay Given were both promoted to interim co-assistant manager as a result. Villa eventually stopped the rot, as well as putting a nightmare week behind them, with a 0–0 draw against Southampton at Villa Park. The next match, however, saw Villa slump to defeat yet again, this time 4–1 at Swansea, leaving them still in the thick of a fourth consecutive relegation battle.
May Villa eventually ended their six match winless run on the back of beating
Hull City 3–1. This result saw the club all but guarantee their Premier League safety, due to their far superior goal difference over Norwich, the team occupying the remaining relegation place. Ashley Westwood scored after 56 seconds and Andreas Weimann got a brace before half time, after
Jordan Bowery had put through his own net. However Villa ended a miserable season with a whimper, after two heavy defeats in four days. Villa travelled to the
City of Manchester Stadium on 7 May for their rescheduled game versus Manchester City in their penultimate match of the season. The eventual
champions thrashed Villa 4–0, after the visitors had held out for an hour.
Edin Džeko scored a brace before goals from
Stevan Jovetić and
Yaya Touré effectively wrapped up the title for City, who needed just a point from their final game against West Ham (which they won 2–0) to win the league. The season was wrapped up with a 3–0 defeat against Tottenham, which saw Villa finish in 15th place for the second season running. On 12 May 2014, chairman
Randy Lerner released a statement confirming that the club was up for sale. In the statement, Lerner stated, "I have come to know well that fates are fickle in the business of English football. And I feel that I have pushed mine well past the limit." He also said that "the last several seasons have been week in, week out battles", and claimed that he "can see now that it is time, if possible, to hand these privileges and responsibilities to the next person or group to take the Club forward". This statement came after weeks of speculation about a possible decision to sell the club, after another statement from Lerner alluding to this at the end of April.
Key events •
30 March 2013:
Jean Makoun agrees a move to
Rennes on a permanent basis; he will officially join on 1 July. •
10 June:
Andreas Weimann signs a new three-year contract with Villa until 2016. •
13 June: Villa sign 20-year-old
Danish defender
Jores Okore from
Nordsjælland, as well as
Leandro Bacuna from
Groningen. •
18 June:
Nicklas Helenius joins Villa from
Aalborg BK. However, by March, N'Zogbia had still not returned to action and it was revealed that he was unlikely to return during the season. •
22 June:
Brett Holman's contract is terminated by mutual consent, with the player joining
Al Nasr in the
UAE. •
6 July:
Brad Guzan signs a new four-year deal until 2017. •
8 July:
Christian Benteke hands in a transfer request. •
18 July:
Ciaran Clark becomes the next player to sign a new deal, agreeing a three-year contract with the club. •
19 July: Christian Benteke withdraws his transfer request as well as signing a new four-year deal with the club. •
8 August: Villa draw
Rotherham United in the
2013–14 League Cup second round. •
28 August: Villa beat
Rotherham United 3–0 in the
League Cup second round. They draw
Tottenham Hotspur in the
third round. •
9 November: Villa end a run of four games without winning, or scoring, with a 2–0 victory over
Cardiff City. It is also their first home league clean sheet of the season. •
8 December: Villa draw
Sheffield United in the
third round of the
FA Cup. •
28 December: Villa end 2013 in 13th place in the Premier League after a 1–1 draw against
Swansea City. •
2 January 2014:
Libor Kozák is ruled out for the rest of the season after breaking his leg. •
4 January: Villa are knocked out of the
FA Cup by
Sheffield United. •
14 January:
Grant Holt joins the club on loan from Wigan until the end of the season.
Stephen Ireland permanently joins
Stoke City. •
17 January:
Ryan Bertrand joins on loan from
Chelsea until the end of the season. •
29 January: Villa come from 0–2 down to beat local rivals
West Bromwich Albion 4–3 at Villa Park. •
15 March: Villa beat
Chelsea 1–0 at Villa Park, marking the first time they had won back-to-back at home since 2010. •
3 April: Christian Benteke is ruled out of the rest of the season, as well as the
2014 FIFA World Cup, with a ruptured Achilles tendon injury. He will be out for a minimum of six months. •
15 April: Assistant manager
Ian Culverhouse and head of football operations Gary Karsa are suspended by the club, being replaced by
Gordon Cowans and
Shay Given as interim co-assistant managers. •
3 May: Villa all but secure their Premier League status, due to a superior goal difference, after a 3–1 victory over
Hull City. •
11 May: Villa finish in 15th place for the second season running after a 3–0 defeat to Tottenham on the final day. •
12 May: After weeks of speculation,
Randy Lerner confirms that the club is up for sale. == Players ==