At the beginning of the 2021/22 season, Aston Villa had high hopes of improvement under Dean Smith. They had spent around £88m on three attacking players: Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey, and Danny Ings. It was no secret that Villa were pushing for European qualification.
However, dreams and reality seldom coincide. Villa lost five consecutive matches straight. This meant that they were sitting at 16th place in the Premier League table This horrendous performance led to the sacking of Dean Smith.
Former Liverpool legend, Steven Gerrard replaced Dean Smith as the head coach at Aston Villa. He started with consecutive wins but failed to inspire Aston Villa any further. In the next 25 matches, he could manage to win only 29 points.
However, Steven Gerrard is just getting started. He is pushing on for Aston Villa’s redemption. Moreover, this summer, they are focussing on squad rebuilding and identifying key players that fit his style of play. Gerrard is also keen on offloading players who don’t fit his style of play and are just driving up the wage bill at Villa Park.
Squad rebuilding is underway at full force at Villa Park under Steven Gerrard
The 2021/22 season contained a lot of positives for Villa. Ollie Watkins had a fine season. Emi Martinez has developed into one of the most dependable goalkeepers for Aston Villa. Douglas Luiz and Matty Cash were engines in the midfield and their ability to press was immensely helpful for Aston Villa.
Phillipe Coutinho arrived on loan from Barcelona and had an instant impact under Gerrard. He scored 5 goals and provided 3 assists in his 19 appearances for Villa. Coutinho agreed on a permanent move to Villa park under Steven Gerrard. Recently, Coutinho was spotted with his Brazil teammate Neymar. This led to many fans dubbing him as ‘Agent Coutinho‘ who will help Aston Villa to secure the services of Neymar who is looking to leave PSG this summer.
Boubacar Kamara also joined Aston Villa this summer. The defensive midfielder arrived from Marseille on a five-year contract. There have also been rumors of a Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard reunion this summer. Luis Suarez’s contract expires this summer. According to multiple reports, he is looking to join Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa the next summer.
Gerrard is building quite a formidable lineup next summer at Villa Park. Clearly, the former Rangers man is setting his sights on at least a European qualification this summer.
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