MX23RW : Monday, November 25 17:39:00| >> :120:3733:3733:

Aston Villa keen to make impact in Premier League, says chief executive

Aston Villa keen to make impact in Premier League, says chief executive
© Reuters
Villa returned to the top flight after a three-year exile.

Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow has vowed the club will not just make up the numbers in the Premier League.

Dean Smith's side returned to the top flight after a three-year absence following Monday's 2-1 Sky Bet Championship play-off final victory over Derby.

Villa finished bottom when they were relegated in 2016, winning just three games, but Purslow insisted they will compete next season.

He told Club TV: "We have momentum. We have a core of players that we're very excited about. But obviously there will be comings and goings.

"Our goal is that when we arrive in the Premier League, we are ready with a Dean Smith team – players that fit his playing profile and that give us the best possible chance to make a real impact next season, not just making up the numbers.

"There's no interest in flirting with the catastrophe of relegation that the club has had to live with for the last three years, so we need to make really good decisions and add players who really improve us."

Villa were 13th in February but 10 straight wins catapulted them into the top six at the end of the season.

Promotion was vital, with their parachute payments running out this season, and Purslow said they will use their £170million promotion windfall wisely.

He added: "We have a very well-organised recruitment department, under Suso's (sporting director) leadership – really great young recruiters and highly experienced scouts have joined our club in the last six months.

"They have been working meticulously, Dean and I have been seeing those materials for many weeks.

"We now move from the hypotheticals of Championship v Premier League – we are in the Premier League.

"We will be inundated with both suggestions and speculation. That won't impact us one iota. We know what we want to do and we will do it thoughtfully and carefully."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '01b60751-2efb-4bad-b904-4d5e235d0cd6');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Aston Villa keen to make impact in Premier League, says chief executive'});

ID:360797: cacheID:360797:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4366:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Aston Villa coach John Terry in the dugout on October 20, 2018
Read Next:
John Terry in no rush to follow Frank Lampard into management
>
Read more about Christian Purslow Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!