Aston Villa have not been shy about dipping into the transfer market in an attempt to improve their squad since they returned to the Premier League under Dean Smith in the summer of 2019.

The likes of Ollie Watkins, Emi Martinez, Douglas Luiz, and Ezri Konsa are just a few of the success stories, having been signed over the past four seasons.

Naturally, there have been some failures and money wasted on players who have either not been able to adapt to English football or did not have the requisite quality to succeed.

One signing that may not live long in the memory, for the right reasons anyway, was Mbwana Ally Samatta's move to Villa from Belgian side Genk.

Mbwana Samatta's goal record with Villa

Smith swooped to sign the centre-forward for a reported fee of £8.5m midway through the 2019/20 campaign, after he had scored seven goals in 20 Pro League matches for his former club during the first half of the season.

The English head coach provided Samatta with plenty of opportunities to adapt and find his feet in the top-flight but his faith was not rewarded with good performances.

Instead, the Tanzania international produced one goal and missed three 'big chances' in 14 appearances and 11 starts in the Premier League for the Villans.

One goal in 946 minutes of league action was a woeful return from the attacker, who also lost 59% of his duels across those 14 outings for the club.

This shows that Samatta struggled with the quality and physicality of the Premier League in those first five months after his move from Genk, as he failed to find the back of the net on a regular basis and was beaten in duels by opposition players too often.

Mbwana Samatta's current club

Villa decided to cash in on the striker just nine months into his time at the club as Fenerbahce agreed a reported fee of £5.5m for the striker in September 2020, although the first year was on loan before the permanent move was officially confirmed the following summer in 2021.

Samatta has since revealed that the decision to leave was a "painful" one as he was not getting the game time he wanted, having been an unused substitute or not in the matchday squad for the first three matches of the season.

He spent time away from the Super Lig outfit with Royal Antwerp and Gent on loan before being released on a free transfer, after six goals in 33 matches for the Turkish side, in the summer of 2023.

Appearances

27

Goals

5

Big chances missed

12

Assists

0

Stats via Sofascore

PAOK, in Greece, decided to swoop in to sign him for the 2023/24 campaign and the former Villans flop has endured a difficult season with them so far.

The 31-year-old striker has made 18 appearances in the Greek top-flight this term and contributed with two goals and three assists in total, which means that he has averaged a goal every 442 minutes.

His career since moving on from Villa suggests that Samatta did not have the quality to be a success in the Premier League as he has subsequently struggled in Turkey and, now, Greece, after his 'painful' time in England, which is why Smith had a mare with the £8.5m swoop for his services back at the start of 2020.