Gerrard backed to get the job Dunne at Villa
FORMER Villa defender Richard Dunne has tipped the club to push on and compete for European football next season with Steven Gerrard leading the charge.
Gerrard succeeded Dean Smith as head coach last November and quickly took to the role with wins against Brighton and Crystal Palace in his first week at the club.
The remainder of the season saw a turbulent and inconsistent Villa take shape, as they recorded comprehensive wins against Leeds and Southampton but slipped up in other fixtures, such as the losses to Watford and Newcastle.
“He’s done okay, he’s brought more relief to the club, there’s optimism going into next season that they will be challenging higher up,’’ said Dunne. “The results have been a little inconsistent, he won’t be over the moon about that.
“Performances have been okay at times and disappointing at others. For him, it’s about finding the right players in the summer. Villa are probably two to three seasons ahead of Everton, they’ve got a good core of players, they just need bits of quality to progress.
“I think Gerrard will be a quality manager, he’ll do really well if he is backed. You would expect Villa to be pushing for a Europa League place.”
Dunne highlighted James Tarkowski and Emmanuel Dennis as potential targets for Gerrard this summer.
Tarkowski, 29, has already been linked with a move to Villa Park as he looks set to depart newly-relegated Burnley as a free agent. However, they would face competition from a number of Premier League rivals for the centre-half, despite being named as ‘early favourites’ to complete a deal.
Dennis, 24, also suffered relegation with Watford and, with ten goals and six assists throughout the season, could look to stay in the top flight of English football.
“I’m sure clubs will start looking at Tarkowski and Dennis. They would benefit a few teams in Villa’s area,’’ said Dunne. “They need another attacking player to give them more options up top and another central
midfielder. They aren’t crying out for someone in any position but they are looking for that next level of player to push them up the league, they have a decent strong squad.’’
Another former Villa defender, Alan
Hutton, believes Gerrard won’t be ‘scared’ to sign more players before moving others out as he continues to put his stamp on the squad.
Villa have so far made four signings this summer, including Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos, while Philippe Coutinho and Robin Olsen have also signed permanently following their respective loan moves.
Reports claim Gerrard wants to supplement his squad further with a leftback, midfielder and striker.
At left-back, Aaron Hickey, Calvin Bassey, Quentin Merlin and Sergio Gomez have all been linked, while Yves Bissouma is a top midfield target.
Uruguay international and former Liverpool ace Luis Suarez, however, will not be joining Villa, despite Gerrard wanting to add more depth up front.
As Villa aim to continue their impressive recruitment drive, the focus will now shift to moving a few fringe players out of the club. The likes of Morgan Sanson, Bertrand Troare and several returning loanees will all be allowed to leave if agreements can be met with interested clubs.