Few clubs will need to take stock of their ranks more than Aston Villa this summer. Alex Dunn investigates.
We look at how sides are gearing up for the new campaign
Few clubs will need to take stock of their ranks more than Aston Villa this summer. Martin O'Neill is well aware he needs to buy in the close-season and now even more so, given the respective departures of Gareth Barry and Martin Laursen.
What's happened so far
Manchester United supporters who have seen their summer sun cast behind a Cristiano Ronaldo shaped cloud should spare a thought for their Aston Villa counterparts. Not only have they lost their midfield driving force Gareth Barry to Manchester City, a side that finished four places below them last season, but also defensive talisman Martin Laursen to injury.
Those of a claret and blue persuasion that often lament a pint half full, rather than saviour what's left, will no doubt be reaching for the top shelf in the belief that such loses are in keeping with a club in stagnation (copyright Gareth Barry). A sixth placed finish should be cause for celebration in the Midlands but the manner of Villa's slump in the final furlong, in conceding their UEFA Champions League dream and even the best of the also-rans status to Everton, has seen some supporters question whether the club's future is indeed as bright as they first envisaged.
For two-thirds of the campaign O'Neill and his players were the darlings of the Holte End, but an end-of-term malaise brought into sharp focus a lack of strength in depth that has only been exacerbated by the twin loss of Laursen and Barry. O'Neill and his coaching staff would have hoped for a close-season of tinkering rather than overhaul but given the importance of the aforementioned duo (captain and vice-captain respectively) it seems inevitable a flood of new signings will need to be bedded in over the summer.
What they need
In short, someone to get the supporters excited again. O'Neill, for all his canniness and undoubted ability in the art of motivation, is a manager that likes to play the percentages in the transfer market. The Ulsterman throughout his career has largely eschewed the type of player Siralun (in his pre-Apprentice, Spurs days) christened 'Carlos Kickaballs' in favour of those that are well versed in the idiosyncrasies of British football. When he does buy overseas it tends to be Scandinavians and without wishing to stereotype, when did you last hear of a silky Dane or playmaking Norwegian?
Such a philosophy has served him well over the years, indeed it has at Villa, but there is a sense among the club's faithful that the current side needs a certain je nais sais quoi; a flair to complement its obvious efficiency. Villa's counter-attacking style was often thrilling in the first half of last season, when Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor were in full throttle, but when opposition sides wised-up to their sit and soak before breaking philosophy, an accusation of being one-dimensional appeared not unjust.
Real Madrid are hosting the mother of garage sales at the Bernabeu and going off what's audible over the Villa grapevine, a number of the club's supporters would love O'Neill and Randy Lerner to demonstrate the club's ambition to gatecrash the top four with some eye-catching purchases. The likes of Royston Drenthe, Rafael van der Vaart, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Javier Saviola, Mahamadou Diarra, Javi Garcia, Gabriel Heinze and Michel Salgado are all thought to be surplus to requirements in the Spanish capital.
Although some may seem on paper to be out of Villa's range, if the club really are gunning for the big boys, a signing of undeniable first rate calibre could open the door for others, a la Robinho at Manchester City.
Back to reality. Starting from back to front, Brad Friedel is not getting any younger but proved last season he is both fit and agile enough to keep goal in the top flight for at least another couple of years. With this in mind, talk of a loan swoop for Joe Hart is likely to be wide of the mark given he'd unlikely swap Manchester City's bench for Villa's.
The loss of Laursen cannot be underestimated. Villa were a different side when the popular Dane was there to marshal a back four that was tight enough, but lacked a leader in his absence. Curtis Davies is maturing into a class act but Carlos Cuellar has only hinted at his quality since moving to the Midlands from Rangers, while Zat Knight is more than competent but should be no more than a squad player at a club with Villa's ambition.
Luke Young has proved a popular and solid figure in either full-back position but Villa will likely want to strengthen at left-back given continued question marks over long-term injury victim Wilfred Bouma and the consistency, or rather lack of it, shown by Nicky Shorey since his arrival from Reading. O'Neill will hope the latter blossoms in his second campaign, as has Leighton Baines at Everton.
Again in midfield, Barry's departure has left a massive hole. Stiliyan Petrov was excellent as a holding midfielder last term but lacks the drive to surge forward as in his Celtic days. Craig Gardner will put forward his case for a regular starting berth and while the starlet is bristling with promise, he lacks both the maturity and scope of Barry's game. O'Neill needs to invest, and heavily.
O'Neill's January swoop for Emile Heskey has added further physical presence to his forward line but given he already had the reliable and more frequent goalscorer John Carew at his disposal, some have adjudged his signing somewhat superfluous. Villa, like the rest of the division, covet a striker that will get them 20+ goals a season. That man, for all his selflessness, is not Heskey.
What they'll get
Again, let's start at the back. A dominating centre-half to complement the ball playing Davies is badly needed. Many supporters would like to Brede Hangeland but if the Norwegian leaves Fulham it's unlikely to be Villa Park where he pitches up.
Portsmouth's Sylvain Distin is a likely target from the Fratton Park bring-and-buy sale, while O'Neill could do worse than look at the raw but undoubtedly promising David Wheater at Middlesbrough or Wigan's wantaway Paul Scharner. Rosenborg's Vadim Demidov has also been linked and certainly fits the criteria sought by O'Neill - young, hungry and willing to learn. The same could be said of Newcastle's Sebastien Bassong.
Sheffield United's Kyle Naughton has about half the top flight monitoring his situation and should Villa move for the buccaneering right-back, Luke Young would most probably swap flanks to again provide cover on the left.
For those Villa supporters that perhaps crave bigger names, Micah Richards and Matthew Upson have been mooted as possible targets.
David Bentley looks nailed on to be wearing Villa colours if reports are to believed and although supporters will likely welcome the arrival of a undoubtedly talented player who has lost his way in the capital, they'll pray it's not at the expense of Ashley Young. Harry Redknapp is thought to have put the flying wide man at the top of his shopping list but even if Young wanted to quit Villa - and there is nothing to suggest that he does - it seems likely he'd have his eyes on a club higher up the football pyramid than Spurs.
Tom Huddlestone has been mooted as a possible makeweight in any deal and ahead of the 2010 World Cup, he'll be desperate for regular football given Fabio Capello has gone on record as expressing his admiration for the Premier League's finest 'quarter-back'. Jermaine Jenas is another that could end up at Villa if he's shown the White Hart Lane exit door.
Fabian Delph (like the Specials song perhaps, 'Too much, too young'), Standard Liege schemer Steven Defour, Benoit Cheyrou (brother of Bruno - who still sends cold shivers down the spines of Liverpool supporters) and perhaps most interestingly, Alexander Hleb, have all occupied the gossip columns. Hleb has endured a miserable time in finding out the grass is definitely not greener in Barcelona than North London and would represent quite a coup if O'Neill could convince him to quit the Catalan capital.
Michael Owen looks like the quintessential Villa signing and probably would score 20 goals, if you could get 40 games out of him. It's a big if. O'Neill is no mug and having had his fingers burned by Laursen, may be reticent to bring in players with a less than reassuring injury track record. The same could be said of Roque Santa Cruz, who may be available for considerably less than the £20m quoted in January, but nonetheless represents a considerable gamble.
Both are capable goalscorers but with Van Nistelrooy reportedly available for in the region of £2-3million, I'd be more inclined to go Dutch.
Over to you Martin...
Fan's view - Aron Rowe
Aston Villa need at least six new players but preferably anywhere between seven and 10 are required to take us to the next level. We definitely need two new centre-halves, personally I'd like to see Micah Richards and Matthew Upson move to Villa Park.
We also need a left back/ right back that can play if Freddie Bouma or Luke Young gets injured, I'd plump for Sheffield United's Kyle Naughton, who could cost around £5million.
Martin O'Neill also needs a winger that can rotate with James Milner and Ashley Young. I'd like to see David Bentley in the Midlands.
O'Neill could get him playing again and back on track to be the next David Beckham, although he's still got some way to go.
At least a couple of central midfield players are needed too, I'd go for Jermaine Jenas and Tom Huddlestone from Spurs.
Finally, in the busiest of summers, a decent forward player should be signed. I'd say Michael Owen is the best player, realistically, we could go for. His record speaks for itself, he's a born goalscorer. These are the minimum players I think Villa should be looking to sign and if we don't, we risk dropping out the top 10 as the league is going to be much stronger next year.
Have your say by filling in the feedback form below...
