Villa boss Martin O’Neill still hopes to have the majority of his new signings in place for their Premier League curtain-raiser against Manchester City.
So far Steve Sidwell remains Villa’s only confirmed signing, with American keeper Brad Guzan awaiting a work permit before his move is sealed.
Having seen five players depart from what was already the smallest squad in the division, O’Neill knows he is up against it with the visit of Mark Hughes’ side little more than three weeks away.
He said: “In real terms I would have liked to have strengthened the squad in considerable fashion by the time we kick off in the Premier League.
“While I am very, very pleased with some of the young players coming through the ranks at Villa, the truth is that for us to be competing again we need to be competing immediately, as soon as the season kicks off. From day one, that is our aim.”
“It is an interesting time, it is an exciting time as well. We are well aware of what we have to do but we are not starting to worry.”
O’Neill admits he needs to improve his squad “simply to stand still” as the division grows ever competitive.
He said: “We have got things in motion. The difficulty is getting real quality players. Everybody is finding the same problem.
“All of the clubs of a similar position to ourselves are in exactly the same boat.”
Share this article:
What are these?