Dean Smith comments on the core of Aston Villa’s team

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Aston Villa will be preparing for their Premier League opener, which kicks off on Saturday evening.

Dean Smith has shared that he was told by the Aston Villa owners to ‘keep that core’ that helped the club earn promotion to the Premier League in May.

Villa beat Derby County in the Championship play-off final, and a number of players who were out of contract left the club, but only a few of those players had featured over the course of that season.

Out of the players that did depart, only a case could have perhaps been made for Glenn Whelan or Albert Adomah, but the latter didn’t start many games last term and Whelan’s age was a contributing factor.

Nonetheless, Villa supporters will love the message that was sent to Smith by the owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris, who along with board members, were in agreement on the path Villa should take upon their return to the big time.

“I think one of the key points, this wasn’t just me this was Christian [Purslow], Suso and the owners, was to keep that core that team that got us promoted together,” Smith told AVFC’s official YouTube account.

“I felt we built a good team bonding and good team spirit in the dressing room, not only with the players but the staff and the supporters. There was certainly a real togetherness with everyone at Villa Park.

“I think when you have a club together, or an organisation together, whatever work it is, that can move forward very quickly with momentum. And it was important that the core of that team, the Jed Steer’s, the James Chester’s, the Elmohamady’s, Neil Taylor, John McGinn and Jack Grealish. All these players were kept as the spine of the team and we have done that.”

Well, a core of those players have remained and had Villa been able to bring back loanees Axel Tuanzebe and Tammy Abraham then it could have been even better.

Villa will face Tottenham on the opening weekend of the new Premier League campaign and there could be the possibility that the seven players that started the play-off final could line-up against Spurs.

There could have been two more had Abraham or Tuzanzebe been at the club, but one thing is for sure, the club have kept their promise and kept faith with those who brought them up.