Aston Villa are coming off the back of a disappointing season, finishing 14th in the Premier League with fewer wins, more defeats and fewer points than the previous campaign, so Steven Gerrard moved quickly in the transfer market to fix weak areas of the squad.
Villa have already signed Philippe Coutinho on a permanent deal from Barcelona, Boubacar Kamara on a free transfer from Olympique Marseille and Diego Carlos from Sevilla, so the spine of the team looks more solid.
The Midlands outfit are challenging for a top-six finish next season and Noel Whelan says Gerrard is under immense pressure to deliver after being heavily backed in the transfer market by Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris.
He told the Football Insider: “They’re looking to break into Europe this season – first and foremost. But they’re building a squad which they think is capable of challenging Liverpool and Man City.
“They’re quite a way off, but they’re going into the transfer market nice and early yet again. Steven Gerrard knows where he stands. It’s really handy when you have a generous board who aren’t afraid to spend the money and get business done quickly.
“They’re building a really good squad at Villa. If they’re not in that top six come next season – there may well be questions asked.” Villa are expected to continue spending this summer too with Gerrard on the hunt for a defender, midfielder and striker, so he can’t argue he’s not been supported by the owners.
It remains to be seen whether the Midlands outfit stand a chance of dethroning Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United, but they could challenge West Ham United, Leicester City and Newcastle United next season to be the best of the rest.
In other news, Chris Sutton issues warning as Aston Villa eye Luis Suarez
