Taylor Harwood-Bellis has followed Ibrahim Mbaye through the doors at Aston Villa on deadline day after his move from Southampton was confirmed on Tuesday.
Harwood-Bellis completes deadline day move to Aston Villa
Aston Villa have announced their 11th summer signing after Taylor Harwood-Bellis completed his move from Southampton on deadline day.
Harwood-Bellis has joined Unai Emery's side in a deal reportedly worth 拢30m, with Villa paying a guaranteed 拢25m transfer fee plus 拢5m in add-ons.
The 24-year-old comes in to fill the gap left by Ezri Konsa, who completed his 拢55m switch to Premier League champions Arsenal earlier in the transfer window.
During his time at Southampton, who he initially joined on loan in 2023, Harwood-Bellis made 134 appearances across all competitions for the Saints.
No player made more clearances (659), won more duels (539) and won more aerial duels (328) than Harwood-Bellis in that time for Southampton.
He arrives with previous Premier League experience, having played for the Saints in the division in 2024-25, a season which ended in Southampton being relegated.
Harwood-Bellis made up a defence that conceded 86 goals in that campaign, which was more than any other side in the Premier League that term.
Southampton reached the play-off final last season with Harwood-Bellis as captain, only for the team to be expelled from competing in the showpiece match after being found guilty of spying on their semi-final opponents, Middlesbrough.
Harwood-Bellis is the 11th new signing for Villa this term, joining Zion Suzuki, Matteo Ruggeri, Modou Keba Cisse and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in bolstering Villa's defence.
Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson, Mbaye, Joao Gomes and Leon Goretzka have also joined the Villans permanently, while Alejandro Garnacho has arrived on loan.
Harwood-Bellis will be hoping to improve a Villa defence that has conceded five goals in their opening two Premier League matches following their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on Monday.
Villa have also lost their first two Premier League matches of the season for the first time since 2019-20.
They are the first team to finish in the top-four of the top-flight (fourth in 2025-26) and then lose their first two games of the following season since both Arsenal and Manchester United in 1992-93, and the first to do so without scoring since QPR in 1976-77.
