'Stability and Fight' the Main Qualities Required From New Signings Claims Aston Villa CEO

Aston Villa CEO Keith Wyness has stated that a lack of leaders at Villa Park is the reasoning behind Steve Bruce's new signings, according to Birmingham Mail.

The average age of the Villans' summer transfer signings is just over 32, with Glenn Whelan, Christopher Samba and Ahmed Elmohamady all following John Terry's arrival at the club.

And Wyness now believes that the added experience will result in fewer mistakes and a far shorter settling-in period for the new arrivals.

“We need ‘men’ in the team who understand what the Championship is about,” he said earlier this month. “We need that stability and fight and desire and the players we (targeted) this summer have that in abundance.”

The idea of experience also seems to be the deciding factor in the players departing from Villa Park, with foreign buys Libor Kozák, Carlos Sánchez Moreno and Jordan Veretout all leaving after making a minimal impact from abroad.

Image by Freddie Carty

“They (last season's players) had been there and done it but they hadn’t been there and done it together,” Wyness stated.

Villa's debut campaign in the Football League was largely underwhelming, finishing in thirteenth place despite spending over £70m on players such as star signings Jonathan Kodjia and Ross McCormack. A lack of leadership and solidity was cited as the main reason behind this, with Villa using an extraordinary 35 players across the season.

Image by Freddie Carty

Whether or not Steve Bruce will bring in any more signings remains to be seen, but it is clear that finding a consistent first team out of such a large squad of players will be key to deciding if the Villans will have a chance of promotion this season.