Aston Villa CEO Keith Wyness: We are targeting promotion to Premier League next season
Wednesday 29 March 2017 15:39, UK
Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness says the club will target promotion to the Premier League next season under Steve Bruce.
Villa have struggled this season in the Championship but have shown signs in recent weeks of turning in the right direction.
Bruce, who replaced Roberto Di Matteo in October, has helped lift the Villans to 12th in the Championship and removed any doubts over consecutive relegations.
"I think next season is very important. I'm not going to shy away from it - next season is a big one for us," Wyness told Sky Sports News HQ.
"We can't get away from that at all. We want to do everything we can next season to go up. It will be an important season, we have got a great squad, there will be no excuses for us not to go up."
Wyness was appointed as CEO last summer and is fully behind Bruce and what he brings as an experienced manager.
"There's never been one single doubt about Steve, I can honestly say that - we have a great working relationship, again it's just taken him time to bed in," Wyness said.
"He has that strength of character, he's a big guy in terms of his personality, and he commands respect from the players, and that's important in gelling a new team together.
"This is a very big arena to manage in, Villa Park itself, and it takes a very big guy with a big personality to stand on that touchline at Villa Park. Steve is that sort of person. We need leaders at this football club to get over what's happened to it in the last three or four years."
Ross McCormack has failed to deliver since his arrival at Villa Park but Wyness is hopeful the striker can return to his best form when he returns from his loan to Nottingham Forest.
"I think when we bought Ross, everyone would have agreed we were buying 10-15 goals a season," said Wyness.
"It hasn't happened. I'm hoping that now he's taking some time out at Nottingham Forest, a little break from here, that when he comes back refreshed in the summer we'll see where things stand, and hopefully we can try to move things on again to a new level."
