Analysis, insight and opinion on what Aston Villa to do in the transfer market this summer...
Monday 24 May 2021 13:04, UK
Which positions are Aston Villa targeting in the summer transfer window? What has Dean Smith said? And what do the stats say?
Squad depth will be a key consideration at Villa Park this summer.
In defence, the contracts of full-backs Ahmed Elmohamady and Neil Taylor expire this summer, and if one or both leave, a replacement will be needed for Matt Cash and Matt Targett.
Dean Smith will also need to make a decision on the striker position; Wesley is fit again, but after such a lengthy period out, and Keinan Davis still raw and relatively unproven, it's questionable whether Villa have sufficient back-up to top scorer Ollie Watkins. Tammy Abraham, on loan during Villa's promotion season in 2018/19, has been linked with a return to the club in several newspapers having struggled to cement a starting place at Chelsea.
Trezeguet's knee ligament injury, which has required surgery, may also force Smith into the market for a winger. Both Arsenal and Villa have renewed their interest in Norwich midfielder Emiliano Buendia, while Bordeaux's Mehdi Zerkane has been linked in the press.
Elsewhere, do not rule out a defensive midfield signing, though Marvelous Nakamba has seen more minutes in recent months.
The most striking statistic from Villa's season is their form with and without Jack Grealish. With him, they have won 54 per cent of games and claimed 1.75 points per game; without him, those figures drop to 21 per cent and 0.92 point per game.
As has been the case for the past four seasons, it's absolutely imperative they keep their skipper going into next year.
Villa's squad depth issue is also evident in the statistics. They have made the second-fewest number of changes (47), and used the second-fewest players (24) in the Premier League, while they also have the second-youngest average starting XI at 25 years and 250 days.
Villa's season of two halves makes it difficult to gauge where they need to strengthen most. At the turn of the year they were 15th in the Premier League for shots faced, but end the season seventh-highest in that regard having faced more shots than any side since January 1.
But they still attack; they were fifth-highest chances created and sixth-highest with shots.
On whether the summer window will be busy: "I don't think it's going to be a massive summer for us. I feel we have a good group of players here and we have to keep growing and progressing.
"Defensively we've been superb this season, and we fell away when our most creative player fell away, so we'll be looking to make sure that doesn't happen again."
On the club's ambition in the transfer market: "The ambition of the owners is to be challenging - regularly - for the Champions League places and the Premier League.
"That's what they want to do. We have an Egyptian owner and an American owner - and they want to grow the Aston Villa brand worldwide. To do that we need to be competing at the top end of the Premier League - and that's where we are aiming to go.
"We have a recruitment strategy and there are lots of plates spinning at the moment and that's where we, as a club, are very fortunate to have the owners we do."
On the challenge of bringing in new players: "We're playing catch up in terms of it's only our second year in the Premier League. There's a lot of clubs who have a big head start in terms of squad cohesion and squad building.
"I've always said I believe that our first XI is a match for anybody in this league but, you have a couple of players out and it weakens your team a little bit.
"Unfortunately we've had our best player out for 12 games. Our job is to keep improving the team and the squad. If two of our better players drop out then you want to make sure that the two who come in can improve the team so there's not much of a drop off in the games that we play in."
"A lot of due diligence goes into bringing the right players and the right fit into the football club. But there's always a risk. Every manager will tell you that there's always a risk when you're bringing players in."
Sky Sports' Gerard Brand writes: "Villa spent a third of the season without their talisman Jack Grealish, and still managed a comfortable mid-table finish. Nevertheless, there is always room for improvement, and depth is key.
"Keinan Davis finally has a Premier League goal to his name, and Wesley is back from 17 months out with an ACL injury, but both offer a relatively unproven back-up should Ollie Watkins get injured.
"Though Trezeguet, Bertrand Traore and Anwar El Ghazi have chipped in with important goals this season, there is still a feeling among Villa fans that consistent quality from out wide is needed.
"Elsewhere, a back-up upgrade in one or both of the full-back areas is key, while the January signing of Morgan Sanson suggests any midfield additions will be down to opportunism rather than necessity. As with last summer, a lot will depend on Villa keeping Grealish."
