Villa boss would be happy to beat ninth
Wednesday 27th July 2011, 11:00AM BST.
Villa boss Alex McLeish has tempered fans expectations by telling them not to expect more signings and warning it will be “difficult” to beat last season’s ninth-place finish.
The impending arrival of Charles N’Zogbia for £9.5million, along with the £3.5million already spent on goalkeeper Shay Given, look like being Villa’s only significant deals of the summer.
And, after operating on a limited budget this summer, McLeish has bemoaned the over-inflated fees in the transfer market.
He said: “Some of the prices are quite unbelievable. We are looking at our finances within the club and trying to keep everything correct.
“The financial fair play rules come into play in 2013 and so we have to get our sums right and whether every club will stand for inflated wages for too much longer is debatable.
“Sunderland have signed 10 players while Stoke City are linked with many players on extortionate transfer fees.
“I wouldn’t want to shout from the rooftops that we will be competing for the top four. I would be a fool.
“We finished ninth last season, can we better that? It will be extremely difficult, given the way that every team has been gearing up.”
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