After a tumultuous 2015/2016 season which saw them relegated from the Premier League for the first time, Aston Villa will be spending their maiden season in the unfamiliar English Championship next year. For a club that has been crowned champions of England seven times, and indeed champions of Europe once, the way the Midlands club languished at the bottom of the Premier League table for much of last season’s campaign was simply unacceptable for a club of their stature and it goes without saying that going straight back to the top flight should be top priority this year.
Three reasons why Villa can go straight back up next season!
The Championship outright football betting odds at the time of writing have Roberto Di Matteo’s men priced at 8/1 to be crowned champions in the English second tier next season, but it’s fair to say there’s plenty that must be done in B6 to make that dream a reality. Here’s three reasons why we believe Villa can go straight back up next season.
1) A New Dawn
The biggest thing Villa have going for them right now is their clutch of newly-appointed backroom staff. Following the long-awaited sale of the club by former owner Randy Lerner, whose relationship with the fans steadily turned sour in his final years, the appointment of up and coming manager Di Matteo as well as experienced assistant manager Steve Clarke by new owner Tony Xia has bred new optimism for the forthcoming season. Despite having previous with local rivals West Brom, in Di Matteo and Clarke, Villa have two experienced coaches who are arguably the best placed in the entire division to achieve promotion in 2016/2017.
2) Wonga to spend
New Villa owner Xia has pledged upwards of £30 million to their transfer kitty this summer, according to reports, and it’s fair to say, with that kind of cash, there’s plenty that can be done should the club spend it wisely. With many of Villa’s underperforming yet overpaid roster heading for the exit door this summer, the Midlands club will need to strengthen in pretty much every area of the pitch in the transfer window and with the money from player sales also rumoured to be pumped back into their transfer pot, Villa could acquire quite the star-studded squad by Championship standards next season.
3) Exciting youth
Aston Villa’s youth set-up has always been considered by many to be one of the most prestigious in the country. With Villa youth graduates such as England international Gary Cahill and Premier League winner Marc Albrighton still plying their trade in England’s top tier, there’s never a paucity of up and coming talent in the club’s academy. With highly-rated winger Jack Grealish and teammate Gary Gardner (brother of West Brom’s Craig), who enjoyed a successful loan spell at Nottingham Forest last season, lining up for the Midlands club (assuming they don’t get sold), a combination of exciting young talent and the stability of more experienced heads at the club could be the foundation on which new manager Di Matteo can mount a promotion push next season.