Taylor Harwood-Bellis left out of Champions League squad just days after joining Aston Villa

Aston Villa have named their squad for the Champions League league phase, but Taylor Harwood-Bellis was not included.

The decision has come only days after the centre-back completed his summer move from Southampton.

Getty

Harwood-Bellis put pen to paper in a deal worth an initial £25million, with another £5m in add-ons also included.

However, he will not play in the opening stage of their Champions League campaign.

Also omitted from the squad was centre-back Modou Keba Cisse and teenage striker Brian Madjo, who scored for Villa against Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup.

As listed on the UEFA website, 23 players have been selected for Villa’s league phase matches.

Their squad includes nine of their signings from the summer window, which closed on Tuesday night.

Zion Suzuki, Matteo Ruggeri, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Leon Goretzka, Joao Gomes, Johan Manzambi, Nicolas Jackson, Alejandro Garnacho and Ibrahim Mbaye are all available for selection.

Could Harwood-Bellis still play in the Champions League?

Although he cannot feature during the league phase, Harwood-Bellis could still play later on in the competition.

Clubs who qualify for the knockout stages can register a maximum of three new players in their primary List A.

However, the squad must still have a maximum of 25 players in total.

Harwood-Bellis could even find himself involved in Villa’s plans during the league phase.

Getty

An outfield player named on List A can be replaced should they suffer a long-term injury or illness that lasts at least 60 days.

Clubs can temporarily replace just one outfield player and bring in a new one from the first match up to and including the sixth.

This means that, if one of Villa’s selected centre-backs was ruled out for 60 or more days, then Harwood-Bellis could replace them.

Who will Villa play in the Champions League?

The league phase draw was conducted on August 27, with Unai Emery and his side learning their eight opponents.

Villa first travel to Club Brugge before back-to-back home matches against Fenerbahce and Viking FK.

Tough tests at Galatasaray and Barcelona follow, and then reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain are their final test of 2026.

Borussia Dortmund and Slavia Prague cap off their league phase, where a top-eight finish would send them into the knockouts.