Aston Villa will be looking to strengthen their squad this summer.
New manager Roberto Di Matteo poses after the press conference
Aston Villa boss Roberto Di Matteo has assured reporters that he will be the one making decisions on transfers this summer as he clears up the situation, the Birmingham Mail report.
The Villains endured a horrific Premier League campaign last term, finishing bottom with only three wins.
Tim Sherwood was sacked only months into the campaign following a dreadful start, yet the former manager has often claimed he wasn’t responsible for the club’s poor transfer activity the previous summer.
The Birmingham Mail mention in the report how there was friction involving then boss Sherwood, head of recruitment Paddy Riley plus sporting director Hendrik Almstadt due to confusion over signings.
Di Matteo, however, suggests that won’t happen this time around as he states he will be responsible for the playing squad while adding the importance of having a structure in place.
“Right now I am going to make the decisions of the players coming in and out but one of the jobs is to put a structure in, to have a process we go through to acquire players,” the Italian explained.
“It’s not just going to be the manager saying ‘I want this guy’. It has to be done properly and professionally so we limit the risk of signing players who might not work for the club.”
Di Matteo has a tough job on his hands as he needs to assess which current Villa players have the right mentality and attitude for what is going to be a testing period in the Championship.
A number of players in Villa’s ranks may have the quality to play in the second tier, but without the discipline and right frame of mind they will struggle to make an impact.
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