Aston Villa- finished 11th in 2020/2021 Season on 55 points.
Aston Villa's return to the Premier League in the 2019/2020 season was rather underwhelming, finishing with a shaky 35 points and avoiding the drop zone by a single point. We all remember Roy Keane's amusing reaction to Villa avoiding relegation that season and from this it was normal to predict another poor campaign for The Claret and Blue Army. However, Villa hushed the doubters and finished last season in 11th, with major wins coming against Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, and of course that famous 7-2 victory over, then, reigning champions Liverpool. Villa are on a pathway to asserting their longevity in the Premier League, and it is essential they maintain their stay in the top flight given the stature and regard the club has generated over the years. The challenge this year may be more complicated given that their standout player for the last 5-6 seasons, Jack Grealish, has just completed a £100 million move to champions Manchester City. Eight illustrious years at the club will be hard to replace, but Dean Smith had foreseen Grealish's move and has brought in some impressive reinforcements. Emiliano Buendia, the club's record signing, was the Championships standout player last season and has arrived as possibly a direct replacement for Grealish in terms of his position and role within the team. They have also brought in Danny Ings, a proven Premier League goal scorer, who will hopefully replace the goal contributions Grealish once offered. Leon Bailey from Bayer Leverkusen and the return of Ashley Young from Inter Milan are both solid bits of business, and the prospect for Villa now is can they continue to improve in England's top flight, especially now given that there star boy has left them for greater fortunes.
MAJOR TRANSFERS (subject to change).
IN- Emiliano Buendia- (Norwich, £38 million).
Ashley Young- (Inter Milan, £3 million).
Leon Bailey- (Bayer Leverkusen, £25 million).
Danny Ings- (Southampton, undisclosed fee).
OUT- Jack Grealish- (Manchester City, £100 million).
Tom Heaton- (Manchester United, free transfer).
Bjorn Engels- (Royal Antwerp, undisclosed fee).
Ahmed El Mohamady- (released).
Neil Taylor- (released).
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