A new manager and potentially new owners create the perfect recipe for an extensive summer clear out. It was bound to happen, Paul Lambert had signed a lot of players and Tim Sherwood will be looking in the summer to revamp the squad and create a Villa that is more representative of what Sherwood wants to do at the club. As a result, I expect that Aston Villa will look to sell, a lot of players! Here is a small list of who I think will be shown the door come the Summer transfer window:
1. Andreas Weimann
I think it’s time to let Weimann go. Weimann has made very few appearances under Sherwood and looks to be below the pecking order of both Agbonlahor and Benteke, maybe even Bent should Sherwood offer the forward a new contract. Weimann has scored only 4 goals and his development has halted, especially after his break through season in 2012 where he ended up scoring 12 goals. He is still young, and can improve but hard work and running can only get you so far. I think it would be best for Villa and Weimann to part company this summer.
2. Carles Gil
The mystery that keeps Villa fans questioning Sherwood’s selection, why isn’t Gil given a chance? At the age of 21, he has a lot of room for improvement and looks like a very talented player. Under Lambert he managed to score Villa’s goal of the season against Bournemouth and assist Okore’s goal in Villa’s 2-1 defeat against Chelsea. Yet, he has only started once under Sherwood. Now I don’t think that Gil will be sold, but rather allowed to go out on loan. Selling Gil would prove to be a mistake since he is a very talented player.
3. Matthew Lowton
When Sherwood arrived at the club I thought that Lowton would be given a chance. He did start a few games at left-back and I though he played rather well. Unfortunately that was short lived, because Lowton hasn’t made many appearances as of late, and Sherwood clearly prefers either Bacuna and Hutton and right-back. I still think he is a decent player and will certainly find a club in the Premier League.
4. Antonio Luna
He started his Premier League career in a blast, scoring the last goal in Villa’s 3-1 win over Arsenal last season. But it has gone badly down hill for Luna since, lost his place to Bennett towards mid-season and later forgotten with the arrival of Bertrand. But it has gotten worse, Luna went out on loan to Serie A club Verona but barely made any appearances, now he is playing for Serie B club Spezia. Sherwood will have to decide what to do with the left-backs, because currently he has 4 under contract. Luna will certainly be leaving.
5. Yacuba Sylla
Promising player, but like most of Lambert’s experiments, I don’t think he will pass the test of time. Aston Villa have a solid number of midfielders now and I highly doubt that Sylla can impress Sherwood. Plus Sherwood will give the likes of Gary Gardner a chance next season.
6. Alexander Tonev
I thought that Tonev might be a success at Villa, nope! In his first season at the club, Tonev had good runs and challenged defenders but his shooting was unbelievably poor. This season he’s had to face a racial accusation whilst on loan at Celtic. I think it’s best if Tonev left the UK and tried to revive his football career elsewhere.
7. Nicklas Helenius:
I still think he could make an impact in the club but I don’t think he will stay after a disastrous first season. His addiction to pain killers following an injury in 2013-14 did affect his career, and he hasn’t really set the Danish league on fire like he did in 2011-12. He would be competing with Callum Robinson if he did stay, and I think we know who would win that battle!
8. Philippe Senderos
This is a tricky one, I do think there is a place in the team for the experienced Swiss defenders. But the development of Okore, Baker and Clark has certainly made that extremely difficult. If Vlaar did move on then there is a chance that Senderos could stay on. But as things stand, Senderos’s Villa career will be short lived. He did have an excellent first few games in the Premier League campaign. But I’d rather watch the development of Clark, Baker and Okore because those 3 defenders are something special.