What will the future hold should Aston Villa fail in promotion bid?

It could get rather ugly should Aston Villa fail in its promotion efforts this season.

I’d like to start off by saying that I don’t want this post to be construed as negative, or counterproductive in any way, I just want to attempt to paint a picture of what life could be like for the club if Aston Villa are forced to spend another season in the second tier. Nobody wants that; we all want Villa back in the promised land, in amongst England’s elite again. But nothing in this game is guaranteed, and as far as the league Villa will be playing in next August, it’s all up in the air.

What we can say about Villa’s transfer policy last summer is that is was geared on the club going up. Short term deals/loans, experienced players rich in Premier League games on decent wages like Glenn Whelan, John Terry, Robert Snodgrass and Ahmed Elmohamady were the foundations on which a return would be launched. The season hasn’t been a resounding success, but a Premier League return is still possible, albeit likely through the nerve-shredding playoff route. But what sort of state will the Villa squad be in should they fail to go up?

Reduced squad size:

I think this is fairly obvious, considering the FFP situation and the fact some Villa players are too good for this league and will be snapped up by bigger teams this summer. The squad at the moment is too big and that’s even before considering the young players bubbling along underneath the first team, waiting for their chance.

Selling valuable players to raise cash for incoming signings:

As mentioned above, FFP will hit Villa hard next year with no promotion and the parachute payments received from relegation also running out. The need to sell assets will be even greater than it was last summer when Nathan Baker and Jordan Amavi needed to be moved on for ~£10 million. In terms of players of value Villa have: Jack Grealish, James Chester and Jonathan Kodjia are the main ones and may need to be moved on to raise cash. All have contracts that expire in the summer of 2020.

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Even one of Glenn Whelan/Mile Jedinak might go due to their age and the need for their wages to be slashed off the wage bill. You’ve also got to seriously consider a bottom-half Premier League team making a move for Conor Hourihane, who has shown his ability now in the Championship for 2 years, and would be worthy gamble for a team in the top tier.

Loans/contracts expiring:

Robert Snodgrass, Sam Johnstone, Axel Tuanzebe and Josh Onomah will all return to their parent clubs with Villa losing any power they might have had in negotiations by being stuck in the Championship and with a reduced budget. The players with contracts running out this summer (Terry, Hutton, Agbonlahor, Samba, Bunn) represent a significant chunk of first team minutes that need replacing come August.

Young guns:

It wouldn’t be all bad however, as this anticipated squad reduction makes more room for the likes of Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, Callum O’Hare and Jake Doyle-Hayes to play a more prominent role in the side. The academy will certainly benefit from another Villa season in the second tier.

Next: Aston Villa's Upcoming Stars

I’ve decided to attempt an Aston Villa XI if no players arrive in and the departures I’ve predicted above become reality:

Steer; Bree, Elphick, Suliman, Taylor; Whelan, Lansbury; Green, O’Hare, Adomah; Hogan.

Strong, intriguing side, but one unlikely to get promoted in my view. So all the more reason to cheer the lads home for the next 8 games.

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