It has been a strong summer transfer window for Aston Villa.
Steve Bruce, manager of Aston Villa.
The transfer window has now shut and Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce can look back on what has been a busy summer of business for the club.
Seven new players came through the door and with the exception of Chris Samba, all were at Premier League clubs last season.
Christopher Samba of Aston Villa challenges Drey Wright of Colchester during the Carabao Cup First Round.
Bruce assessed his squad, who performed disappointingly in the Championship last term following relegation, and moved to improve problem areas swiftly.
That has seen goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and attacking midfielders Josh Onomah and Robert Snodgrass arrive on loan, while the aforementioned Samba and John Terry were signed on free transfers and the addition of Glenn Whelan and Ahmed Elmohamady provided even more experience.
John Terry of Aston Villa.
In truth it was almost the perfect window for the Villans and while it has not exactly been the perfect start in the league, that does not mean things won’t click in the near future.
The only real regrets the Birmingham side can have is the players they failed to move on. As outlined by the Birmingham Mail in May, the club were getting extremely close to breaching Financial Fair Play rules, meaning players needed to be sold before others could be bought.
Eight of the squad departed permanently, while another two left on loan, but Tommy Elphick and Ross McCormack remain at Villa Park despite being strongly linked with moves away by the Birmingham Mail.
As potential high earners their departures would have freed up some much needed funds in the budget, but now Bruce needs to decide if he includes them in his plans or holds out for them moving on in January.
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