It’s fair to say that the 2016/17 season hasn’t exactly gone to plan for Aston Villa.
When Roberto Di Matteo was hired in the summer, the aim was for him to lead Villa back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but things didn’t work out that way.
Despite spending a lot of money in the transfer window, Villa got off to a poor start and it wasn’t long before Di Matteo was sacked and replaced by Steve Bruce.
Bruce’s reign has had its ups and downs but regardless of how the season ends, the aim next season has to be promotion.
After a hectic summer in 2016, the new boss is right to want a quiet transfer window in 2017 but that does not mean things should stay exactly as they are.
I’ve looked at five things Villa need to do in the summer to ensure they are ready for a promotion push next season:
