Exclusive: Aston Villa transfer window has Dan Bardell dreaming of a trophy
We’re delighted to welcome The Athletic’s Dan Bardell as our exclusive Aston Villa columnist each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the club…
Dan Bardell is delighted by the Aston Villa transfer window and the quality of player that has come in has raised hopes of a long-awaited trophy.
The Villans have been very ambitious without spending a King’s ransom, as they managed to make Philippe Coutinho’s loan permanent for a price that would never have been possible were it not for the presence of Steven Gerrard and Barcelona’s financial problems.
On top of that they signed a key piece of the puzzle in Boubacar Kamara on a free transfer, and only spent big on Sevilla defender Diego Carlos, while they ended up making £20million on the sale of young midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka who had refused to sign a new deal, so Bardell is pleased with what he has seen and thinks challenging for Europe is a possibility.
He exclusively told Villa News: “I think it’s been a very precise window, so they’ve got business done very, very early, which is unusual for Premier League teams, and I like it because it means we’re not going to be scrambling around come the end of August.
“If something comes up that the Villa hierarchy think will improve the team they’ll do it because there’s money there.
“I actually quite like that the net spend has ended up being quite low over the last two summers, because Villa have spent a hell of a lot of money over the last four or five years.
“So I think they actually needed something like this, but just because you’ve got a low net spend doesn’t mean you’re not ambitious, and the players Villa have brought in for Steven Gerrard, and even maybe the summer before under Dean Smith, bringing in someone like Leon Bailey and Danny Ings, the managers have been backed.
“Coutinho for £17million is an absolute no-brainer. To get him for less than we sold Chuwuemeka for is quite frankly ridiculous.
“Then they’ve filled massive problem positions in my opinion, because they’ve needed a defensive midfielder, a proper one, ever since they got back to the Premier League.
“They’ve waited and waited and waited, and not managed to get in one that they want. They’ve now pulled in a France international, a player that Champions League teams wanted in Boubacar Kamara, and he’s going to be a very good player once he gets up to speed.
“That’s a Champions League midfielder on a free, who’s 22. That’s an unbelieveable signing. Villa have got no right to be signing someone like that after finishing 14th in the Premier League.
“But it shows the pull of Steven Gerrard.
“I would then say that Villa have been too nice over the years, and it feels like Diego Carlos is going to fill that void with a bit of presence, and a bit of stature, and a bit of nastiness in the team.
“So I don’t think Villa are that far away from being a good outfit challenging for the top seven, or the top eight.
“I think by addressing those two areas they’ve given themselves a chance this season, and I think Villa fans would be happy with pushing towards that, and just trying to win something, because it’s been so long since Villa have won a trophy.
“When I was a kid Villa won the League Cup in ’94 and ’96, and I just thought that was like the normality of being a Villa fan, and it hasn’t been.
“I think any Villa fan will tell you, to win the FA Cup or win the League Cup, they’d take that. That would be a massive thing for them.
“We just want to win something and be in the top half, pushing towards the top eight, and I would have that down as a very, very successful season.”
Last season ended in a relatively disappointing finish and a poor run of results, yet the transfer business has been that of a side with European football to offer.
On the face of it the club haven’t been paying through the nose, so it has to be in large part due to Gerrard.
That is half the battle but having brought these players in it is important to get a tune out of them, so the opening weekend defeat at newly-promoted Bournemouth was a very disappointing start and fans will be hoping for a major improvement next time out against Everton.
In other Aston Villa news, the decision to switch the captaincy to John McGinn could benefit him and Tyrone Mings if it goes well.