da wazamba： Aston Villa’s task this season is to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Easier said than done, of course.
da 888casino： But the Villains are boosted by Tony Xia’s apparently endless funds and a Champions League-winning manager. Likewise, they’ve already brought some impressive signings through the door – most notably James Chester, Tommy Elphick and Ross McCormack.
Yet, the English second tier remains one of the toughest and most competitive divisions in world football. It’s not hard to go from the top five to the bottom five in the space of a month and vice versa.
If the Birmingham outfit are to ensure they’ll be back in the Premier League in time for 2017/18, a few more signings are needed.
The transfer window slams shut in less than a week but fortunately for the Villians, Football FanCast is here to help.
Recently, we’ve teamed up with 7 Of The Best to bring you a footballing treat for the current campaign. It’s free to play and the best team each week wins £1,500, as well as monthly prize of £4,000 for the best individual. Want to win bigger? Nab yourself a whopping £500k if you get all seven of your selections correct for seven consecutive weeks.
So keeping our good friends 7OTB in mind, we’ve taken a look at seven last-minute signings that would consolidate Aston Villa’s promotion push…
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PATRICK BAMFORD
The Villains already boast an exciting strike-force but Chelsea youngster Patrick Bamford would further enhance Roberto Di Matteo’s attacking options. The 22-year-old striker has already proved himself in the Championship, picking up the division’s Player of the Year award in 2015 after netting 17 times for Middlesbrough. Those goalscoring instincts could well be the difference between automatic promotion and the playoffs.
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RYAN MASON
Ryan Mason showed great promise during Mauricio Pochettino’s first season at White Hart Lane but has since slumped behind a number of midfielders in the pecking order. Nonetheless, the 25-year-old is well experienced in the Football League from his countless loan spells and offers an abundance of energy in the engine room – not to mention the occasional goal. He’s seemingly out of the picture at Spurs but the one-cap international might be against dropping into the second tier.
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HARRISON REED (loan)
Another Premier League midfielder who might take Villa’s interest is Southampton starlet Harrison Reed. Much is expected of the England U20 and he’s already made 14 appearances in the Premier League, albeit the majority as a substitute, including one this season. The playmaking youngster’s big breakthrough hasn’t come just yet, however, and some experience in the Championship could aid his development exponentially.
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LEWIS DUNK
Roberto Di Matteo has already sought to overhaul his defensive options this summer but another centre-half wouldn’t go amiss. In terms of those proven in the Championship, it’s hard to look past Brighton’s Lewis Dunk – and not just because he measures in at a whopping 6 foot 4. The Englishman has been one of the best defenders in the second tier for some time and at 24 years of age there’s plenty of potential to further improve.
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Dimitrios Konstantopoulos
Dimitrios Konstantopoulos was Middlesbrough’s No.1 as they achieved promotion from the Championship last season, making 104 saves and keeping 21 clean sheets – the latter statistic being the most of any goalkeeper in the second tier. But the one-cap Greek international now finds himself behind summer signings Victor Valdes and Brad Guzan in the pecking order, so he might welcome the chance to move on. Aged 37, however, Villa should only look to sign the veteran shot-stopper on a short-term deal.
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ANTHONY KNOCKAERT
Anthony Knockaert dazzled in the Championship with Leicester City and has continued to do since signing for Brighton in January 2016. Indeed, he’s bagged eight goals and five assists in 24 league appearances for the Seagulls – including three strikes already this season. The Frenchman is not only a sound investment at 24 years of age but also a player in hot form who should hit the ground running at Villa Park. Unfortunately, Brighton have already turned down a bid from Newcastle.
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SERGE GNABRY (loan)
Serge Gnabry has just come to the end of a phenomenal Olympics tournament with Germany, bagging six goals in five appearances, but still seems unlikely to claim a significant first-team role at Arsenal this season. The powerful winger struggled for game-time on loan with West Brom last term so a stint in the Championship seems like the next logical step. Villa fans can’t expect consistency at the age of 21, but Gnabry is an incredibly talented young player.
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