Villa to ditch kids in favour of experienced Premier League trio
As the season clunks towards a close it’s clear that things are going to change at Aston Villa once another campaign at the lower end of the Premier League concludes.
Whether that be a change in manager or not remains to be seen. However, a shift in playing personnel also looks on the cards judging by the latest transfer links to flutter around Villa Park.
Having adopted a youth-first selection policy since employing Paul Lambert at the start of the 2012/13 campaign, there’s a clear indication that the Villans, who are 9/1 to be relegated this season, will move away from that school of thought this summer.
Retaining their Premier League status will be imperative in these latest transfer plans, though, as the club set their bar ambitiously high in chasing the signings of Javier Hernandez, Joleon Lescott and Lewis Holtby.
Two of the trio have a Premier League pedigree that’s alien to much of Villa’s current squad, with Holtby’s position as a Tottenham reserve denying him the chance of racking up too many top-flight appearances.
All three names are likely to excite the Villa faithful though, with Manchester United striker Hernandez the obvious lip-smacking rumour of the three.
Chicharito had found himself on the fringes of the Red Devils’ action under David Moyes and with a new man to take the helm at Old Trafford next season, may seek a role as a club’s first-choice front man elsewhere.
There’s little denying that a strike force of Christian Benteke and the “little pea” would whet the whistle of even the most steadfast Villa detractors.
Like Hernandez, both Lescott and Holtby have been frustrated by a severe lack of opportunities at top-seven clubs, with the centre-back due to leave Manchester City on a free this summer and Holtby shipped out on loan to Fulham to get more game time.
Capturing all three would be a serious stride towards making Villa a top-10 force in the Premier League once more.
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