Life in the Championship hasn't been plain sailing as Aston Villa would have hoped for following their relegation from the Premier League.

Roberto Di Matteo was sacked after just two months, after spending over £55million on new signings in the 16/17 season, only for the West Midlands club to finish 13th in the Championship.

Life at Villa Park improved last season under Steve Bruce, where the Villans were unlucky not to be promoted after losing in the play-off final to Fulham, but nevertheless, it was a promising season for Villa, with their fans hopeful of going one step further this season.

Villa seemed to have fallen back to their usual selves, however, having won just one of their last ten league games and lingering in 15th place in the Championship table after twelve league games.

The Villa Park faithful will be hoping that new manager Dean Smith can turn the tide around at the club this season, starting off with a home clash against Swansea City this weekend.

Here though, we take a look at the top three Villa signings over the last three seasons...

Kodjia has been a very good signing for Villa since his £15million arrival from Bristol City in the 2016/17 campaign, and is a very astute striker at Championship level.

The 28-year old has scored 24 goals in 55 starts for Villa, which if it wasn't for injuries, could have been a lot higher - he will be looking to spearhead Villa to promotion this season.

It came as a shock when John Terry signed for Villa last term, but the Chelsea legend was a solid addition for Villa and captained them to the Championship play-off final.

The 37-year-old will now look to take Villa one step further this season, as he embarks on a new chapter as Dean Smith's assistant manager.

He may have only been at Villa for a few months, but John McGinn is proving to be a magnificent signing for Aston Villa.

The Scotsman has put in a string of impressive performances in the middle of the park for the Villans this season and could be one of those players who could move to the Premier League for big, big money in the next couple of years.