How Impact Subs are shaping Villa’s victories

Research from William Hill has revealed how different Premier League clubs are making the most of their substitutions in the early stages of the 2024/25 season, with Unai Emery’s Aston Villa leading the way in terms of contributions from the bench.

As part of the leading bookmaker’s new Impact Sub promotion – which means your bet is still on at the original price, even if your player isn’t – data was collected from all 40 Premier League fixtures so far this season to see how early each club is making substitutions, and how effective they are.

The metrics revealed some notable trends, with 10 top-flight clubs succeeding in bringing on a player from the bench who then notches a goal or assist in that game – highlighting the growing impact of substitutions since the five-sub rule was introduced.

Despite half of the division tasting success, one club stands alone at the top of the table for goal contributions from the bench – Aston Villa:

Alongside having the most combined goals and assists from the bench in the Premier League (5), with Colombian striker Jhon Duran notching all three goals after being brought on, Unai Emery’s average first substitution time of 47 minutes is earlier than any other club – narrowly beating Nottingham Forest and Newcastle (both 48).

Chelsea are second in the standings after Jadon Sancho and Christopher Nkunku combined for their late winner away at Bournemouth last week, with the aforementioned Newcastle also seeing their substitutes contribute four G/As from the bench this season after Harvey Barnes’ stunning winner against Wolves the following day.  

William Hill spokesperson, Lee Phelps, commented: “Our new Impact Sub feature has had customers guessing which Premier League club have the most effective players off the bench in order to inform their selections, so we’ve done the groundwork and can reveal that Aston Villa are the kings of tactical tweaks in the early stages of the new season.

“Villa’s bench – led by Jhon Duran’s remarkable cameos – have already contributed five goals and assists across just four fixtures, coinciding with their status as the team making the earliest substitutions in the league— with Unai Emery’s first change averaging at just 47 minutes.

“Newcastle have also had a strong start to the season, further proving the link between early substitutions and impactful bench performances, with their first change at 48 minutes and four goals or assists from substitutes in as many games placing them joint-second in both rankings.

“These findings highlight the growing importance of early, impactful substitutions in shaping Premier League matches, and with our Impact Sub feature in full flow, customers can now tap into this trend, making every substitution more exciting and game-changing.”