Player Watch · Aug 19, 2026
Official: Zion Suzuki completes his move to Aston Villa
It's official. Zion Suzuki is an Aston Villa player. Three transfer stories in nine days, and this is the one that sticks: our World Cup keeper has completed a permanent move from Parma for a fee in the region of 35 million euros (30 million plus 5 million in add-ons), signing a contract through the summer of 2031. He arrives as the first Japanese and first Asian player in Aston Villa's history, a nice line for a player who was born in the US, grew up in Urawa, and made his name for Urawa Reds before a stint in Belgium and two seasons in Serie A with Parma. The move puts a question mark over Emiliano Martinez's future at Villa Park, with Juventus reportedly circling him, but that's a problem for another day. For now: the keeper who stood tall for us against Brazil this summer just landed in the Premier League.