He was sold to Aston Villa in 1996 for £1.5 million, making his debut for them as a substitute against Wimbledon on 24 February 1996. He was cup-tied for their victory in the 1996 Football League Cup Final having played in the competition for Leicester City earlier that season. Playing for Villa, he appeared in the 2001 American crime thriller, Hannibal, briefly seen on a TV screen playing in the background. After five seasons in the Premiership, Joachim dropped down a division to play for the relegated Coventry City in a deal that saw Villa exchange Joachim plus £2 million for Mustapha Hadji.