Saturday 8 August 2015 10:14, UK
All the transfer news, statistics, pundit views and odds ahead of Aston Villa's 2015/16 season.
Position last season: 17th
Sky Bet title odds: 5000-1
Ins: Scott Sinclair (Manchester City), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Mark Bunn (Norwich City), Idrissa Gueye (Lille), Jordan Amavi (Nice), Jordan Ayew (Lorient), Jose Angel Crespo (Cordoba), Rudy Gestede (Blackburn), Jordan Veretout (Nantes)
Outs: Darren Bent (Derby County), Enda Stevens (Portsmouth), Andreas Weimann (Derby County), Matt Lowton (Burnley), Ron Vlaar (released), Yacouba Sylla (Rennes), Antonio Luna (Eibar), Shay Given (Stoke City), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Christian Benteke (Liverpool)
Overview
It has been a testing few months for Aston Villa. After the bitter disappointment of their FA Cup final thrashing by Arsenal in May, they have also had to contend with the departures of key duo Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph to Liverpool and Manchester City respectively.
Losing their two most important players came as a big blow to Villa, but they are looking forward, and Sherwood has brought in a mixture of new faces and old to fill the void. Midfielder Idrissa Gueye, left-back Jordan Amavi, midfielder Jordan Veretout and forward Jordan Ayew have arrived from Ligue 1 clubs, while striker Rudy Gestede has joined after impressing in the Championship with Blackburn.
The upheaval leaves Sherwood with an unenviable rebuilding job at Villa Park, and their hopes of avoiding another gruelling relegation battle could depend on how quickly their new-look side gels. Their new-look attack will be particularly significant. Villa notched their lowest total (31) since 1969/70 last season, and Benteke’s departure leaves a large hole.
Charlie Nicholas' view: "Tim Sherwood will ask for more creative ability from the rest of his players following Christian Benteke’s departure. He needs to get the defensive shape right but one thing you know he will bring is ambition. He’s prepared to stimulate his team and encourage them to play with more freedom and flair."
Charlie Nicholas' one to watch: "I’m intrigued by their new signings but I’m looking at Nathan Baker as a potential key player for them. He’s going to have to step up and learn from his mistakes."
Opta stats
- Villa scored just 31 league goals in 2014/15. Their lowest ever in a single league season before this campaign was 36 in Division Two in 1969-70.
- Only Stoke had a lower shot accuracy than Villa’s 39.81 per cent in the Premier League last season.
- Villa’s 17th-placed finish last season was their lowest since the 1994/95 campaign.
