Aston Villa are back in the Premier League for the first time since 2016 and this time they will have every intention to compete with the big boys, unlike most promoted Premier League teams in the past (Wolves excluded). They are back where they belong as statistics show Aston Villa have now been in the Premier League for the 24th time. The only clubs to play more seasons in the Premier League than Villa are Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham with a record number of 27 times. This shows the ambitions the club have for next season, of which will be more than just Premier League survival. If they can manage to do half of what Wolves have achieved this season then that by itself with be a successful season, as for this club have had 3 hard years of failure, hardships and heartbreaks.
Before their relegation in 2016 Aston Villa were FA Cup finalists in 2015 after beating Liverpool in the semifinals, that alone shows the fact that in their worst possible season they still managed to attain resilience towards being bullied by the big boys and that they are not to be taken lightly. With the continuous amount of investment being poured into the club this year, there can be a lot of FPL players jumping on the Aston Villa bandwagon next season.
Here are the top players to look out from Aston Villa who may prove to be beneficial for your Fantasy Premier League team. .
Goalkeepers
Jed Steer is the player to look out for an affordable option in your team. The 26 year was in fact on loan to Championship promoted Charlton Athletic until December of last year, before being recalled back after an injury to their first choice goalkeeper Orjan Nyland. Since then this shot stopper has saved two penalties in the playoff semi-finals against West Brom and guided Aston Villa to playoff victory at Wembley Stadium. Not bad for a goalkeeper who wasn’t considered a part of this Villa squad at the beginning of the season!
Defenders
Aston Villa’s defence isn’t particularly the best, but one viable option to consider is Ahmed Elmohamady, the former Hull City fullback has made 42 appearances for the Villans and at 31 years old he has bags of experience in the Premier League. You can be rest assured Villa will stick to him next season as they could consider signings over the summer thanks to loan spells ending for some of their defenders like Axel Tuanzebe and Tyrone Mings who have started a considerable amount of games over the past season. James Chester, their skipper and highest scoring defender (5 goals), is another good option to consider as the former Hull City and West Brom man will be keen to bag a few goals as he has done so in the past.
Midfielders
Everyone’s go to budget option for next season has to be Jack Grealish, but the major question here is – Will he stay or will he go? We don’t know for sure but what we can tell you is the 23 year old did start for all 35 games for Villa and most recently captained their side to playoff finals, taking the armband from their injured skipper James Chester. The average age of their midfield is at a staggering 28.11, almost close to that of their defence which is at 29.57 years of age. With the summer transfer window upon us, there are sure to be multiple new faces coming in which we will be covering in articles later this summer.
Forwards
Tammy Abraham scored 26 goals last season. The 21 year old is currently Aston Villa’s highest goal scorer of the season which is impressive considering this was his first season on loan at the club from Chelsea. He is the target man for Villa, but whether he stays or remains is another question for us to consider as Chelsea’s transfer ban could cut short his loan spell. Anwar El Ghazi on loan from Lille could be another centre forward to consider despite him bagging only 6 goals last season, he did contribute 6 assists. Mind you this was his first season in the Championship, so with 8 games less to play in the Premier League you can be assured his form can definitely have a turnaround as he tries to replicate his Lille form.
Aston Villa’s Premier League finishes before relegation
2000/2001 – 8th
20001/2002 – 8th
2002/2003 – 16th
2003/2004 – 6th
2004/2005 – 10th
2005/2006 – 16th
2006/2007 – 11th
2007/2008 – 6th
2008/2009 – 6th
2009/2010 – 6th
2010/2011 – 9th
2011/2012 – 16th
2012/2013 – 15th
2013/2014 – 15th
2014/2015 – 17th
2015/2016 – 20th
Their last 5 seasons might have been a bad fall from grace, but with a new owner in charge coupled with their ability to say no to big clubs who want to buy their players, Aston Villa just might be that team to cook up a big surprise for us all this season. They will also be less likely to make the same mistakes again after nearly avoiding going into administration last year.
My personal pick and must have player would have to be Jack Grealish as he did impress before Villa’s relegation. This time he has grown from a boy into a man and could very likely be the best budget player for your midfield guaranteed to start and score goals or provide assists. To captain your club to a nervy playoff semi-final and win the finals is commendable and should never go unnoticed, but we shall see what Aston Villa do with their money and break the so-called “playoff winners curse”.
For further updates stay tuned to our social media channels and keep an eye on our website for more information regarding Aston Villa’s new signings. It is surely going to be an exciting new season for them with fresh new as all their squad players are new with the only exceptions being Jed Steer, Micah Richards, Alan Hutton and Jack Grealish who are the only Villa players to witness the club being relegated.
