Billionaire owners yearn to compete with the elite clubs
He has a big job in front of him at Aston Villa but Steven Gerrard won the European Cup with Liverpool, captained England and lived in the Old Firm goldfish bowl. He knows about pressure and expectation. Here, JAMES NURSEY looks at what is on his desk – g
PROS SPENDING POWER AND AMBITION
Owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens are worth a combined £6.6billion. It ranks Villa as the fifth-richest Premier League club after Newcastle’s takeover.
Despite selling Jack Grealish to champions Manchester City in the summer for £100m, the pair have had a net spend of more than £200m since rescuing the club from the Championship in 2018.
They have big ambitions as well as deep pockets, with US investor Edens fresh from success as co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, the reigning NBA champions.
Egyptian construction tycoon Sawiris is used to getting his way and previously spoke of his aims to getVilla back among Europe’s elite.
HUNGRY AND SUCCESSSTARVED FANBASE
Villa’s last major trophy was the League Cup in 1996.They boast a magnificent 42,000seater stadium and a trophy cabinet which includes the 1982 European Cup and seven domestic top-flight titles from 1894 to 1981.
But the fans crave fresh success and hope serial winner Gerrard is the man to propel them to glory.
While some were sorry to see Dean Smith – a lifelong Villa supporter – axed, the fanbase have been excited by Gerrard’s appointment.
VILLA’S EXCITING CROP OF YOUNGSTERS
They won the FA Youth Cup by beating Liverpool 2-1 last term and already this season some of that side have played for the first team.
These include England U-19 internationals Carney Chukwuemeka and Aaron Ramsey.
Aaron’s older brother Jacob is emerging as a brilliant central midfield prospect with 10 Premier League appearances this term, while Cameron Archer has caught the eye with four goals in the League Cup.
They head a clutch
of exciting prospects from a revamped academy which includes plans to build an inner-city hub nearVilla Park to tap into urban talent.
CONS FAILED SUMMER SPENDING SPREE
Replacing Grealish was always going to be tough.
Villa claimed to have done so by reinvesting most of the £100m on Emi Buendia, Danny Ings and Leon Bailey.
But none of the trio has set Villa alight and they have all struggled with injuries.
Buendia was like a PlayStation performer with
Norwich in the Championship, claiming 15 goals and 16 assists, but has a solitary goal and one assist to his name.
Ings has three goals but has done little to lose his tag of being injury-prone.
Jamaica international wide- man Bailey has pace to burn but he was underwhelming in his first start, a 4-1 home defeat by West Ham on October 31.
ERRATIC DEFENCE
Villa’s promising 11th place last season was built on their solid backline’s 15 clean sheets – the third-best in the league.
They have already conceded 20 goals in just 11 games this term.
Exasperated Smith even took the nuclear option of dropping captain Tyrone Mings for West Ham’s visit, only to bring him off the substitutes’ bench in the 4-1 home loss.
Gerrard may decide on a settled system as Smith tended to flick between a back four and back three.
LACK OF A CENTRAL HOLDING MIDFIELDER AND GAME MANAGEMENT
Gerrard will quickly spot the glaring shortcomings inVilla’s central midfield.
The side lack a top-quality holding midfielder to screen the defence, as Villa have frequently been overwhelmed in the centre of the park and also suffered from a lack of control.
Even when leading, like they did at 2-0 up at home to Wolves last month with 10 minutes left, a potential win was partly squandered by poor substitutions.