FIVE In, FOUR Out At Villa Park

Paul McGrath promised fans there would be a shake up in the Aston Villa squad this summer and he was not lying as two wingers and one striker has been shown the door and a mind boggling £56,000,000 spent on one of the replacements. Fans have been calling for the club to change there policy on buying players for a while and it looks like McGrath has listened well

So lets start with the players out and there is a lot to talk about for The Villans.

Players Out

Kevin Volland To Barcelona For £23,500,000

In a move that shocked most Villa fans, McGrath decided that he did not want Kevin Volland anymore and Spanish giants Barcelona were first to act as they bid £23,500,000 to take him off Aston Villa's hands. Fans were shocked to see him go but McGrath had warned that some established players would be leaving. Volland, who made 78 appearances over three seasons, scored 20 goals and chipped in with 19 assists and will surely be missed.

Dorin Rotariu To Monaco For £20,000,000

Twenty-Two year old Romanian wide midfielder Dorin Rotariu has also departed from Villa Park in a deal that will eventually rise to £20,000,000. The midfielder, who cost just £5,000,000 three seasons ago, played 60 times in three seasons but was deemed not needed in Paul McGrath's reshuffle at Villa Park.

He moves to France to play for French runners up Monaco, who see him as the man that can propel the club back to the French Ligue 1 title.

Andi Weimann To Stoke For £4,000,000

Andi Weimann was meant to be the next big thing at Aston Villa but ultimately he just did not fit into the plans of Aston Villa manager Paul McGrath. The attacker had been at Aston Villa for ten years but in the last 5 years, had hardly played at all but with moving the Stoke, he will get game time.

Daniel Sturridge To Inter Milan For £24,000,000

In a shock transfer, Daniel Sturridge has been sold to Inter Milan for £24,000,000. Inter, who had an extremely poor season last season, finishing down in 8th place in Serie A last season. Sturridge, who could not get into the first team at Villa Park because of the red hot form of Salomon Rondon last season, which meant he wanted to leave and the thought of going abroad to try and revive a club as big as Inter Milan has given him a challenge.

Players In

Dele Alli From Fulham For £15,000,000

Dele Alli became Aston Villa's second signing of the summer after the signing of Alex Sandro. He signs from Fulham for a £15,000,000 fee and signals the rise of the twenty two year old. Alli, who signed for Fulham for £3,400,000 just two season's ago and with Fulham, he became a full English international and a regular at that, claiming 16 caps already with one goal. He will provide competition for the central midfielder role and he can not wait to play in the Champions League.

To be at a club like Villa is a dream come true. I am going to give my all and prove I have what it takes to be a great player at this great club.

Ryan Gauld From Sporting For £18,250,000

Scottish attacking midfielder Ryan Gauld has signed a five year deal to join The Villans. He spent four seasons in portugal and got player of the year for the club in the process. Although this seems like an expensive transfer, Gauld will be the automatic replacement for Monaco bound Dorin Rotariu and he is looking to the challenge of playing in England.

It is something I have always wanted to do said the 22 year old Scottish International. When a club like Villa come in for you and the club you are at say that you are no longer needed, you go for it. I can not wait to show the fans what I can offer.

Timo Werner From Stuttgart For £31,500,000

With the revelation that Paul McGrath is planning a two prong attack next season he decided to shell out a massive £31,500,000 to buy German striker Timo Werner from Stuttgart. The Striker who was also being couted by Real Madrid, Manchester United and Manchester City chose Villa because they proved they wanted him more than the rest. The striker has signed a five year £130,000 a week contract and it looks as though he will be partnered with Rondon next season.

Kevin de Bruyne From Barcelona For £56,000,000

Aston Villa smashed there transfer record to sign Belgian Kevin de Bruyne. The attacking midfielder, who only moved to Barcelona last season was said to miss the Premier League and after the season he had playing for Los Chules that Villa had to really break the bank to get there number 1 target and he will come in to replace Kevin Volland. De Bruyne, who had a average rating of 8.45 last season is surely going to be a massive hit this season and we look forward to see if he can live upto that pricetag.

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Aston Villa Announce Two Freebie Signings

With the signings Aston Villa had already made, it had obviously left them with not a lot of budget left but when two players were harshly released from there clubs, manager Paul McGrath swooped in to take them both to Villa Park.

Jack Wilshere From Arsenal On A Free Transfer

There was utter shock from Arsenal fans when they learnt that Wilshere had been released by manager Manuel Pellegrini but when the club failed the FIFA Fair Play it was obvious that some changes had to be made. When McGrath learnt that Jack had been released, he swooped and Wilshere was more than happy to sign. Jack is such a classy player and although he can be deceptable to injury, I have full confidence that he will be a hit here at Villa Park.

Nathanal Chalobah From Chelsea On A Free Transfer

Aston Villa continued in there British signings by signing former Chelsea defender Nathanial Chalobah. He only ever played for Chelsea twice in 2014/2015 season and Paul McGrath does not understand why. He is going to be a great player and the fact he wants to come here and try to force his way into the side is a great bit of dedication for the youngster.

So Villa have now finished there transfer activity but just how different could the side look on the first day of the Premier League?

This Season's last game of the Premier League


Next Season's Possible Team


It looks like Villa will go to a 4-2-2-2 formation next season with Caulker, Stones and Chambers staying in the side along with Sterling but with Villa's depth in there squad it is going tobe rotated for sure.

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Jamie Carraghers BT Sport Premier League Preview

So with Brentford, Burnley and Cardiff all promoted at the end of last season, we will look at how we think the table may look after 38 games in the 2018/19 season.

It is going to be a close season, but could Chelsea possibly be caught or could one of the three promoted sides stay? Lets find out, we will see the key signings (upto 3), key departures (upto 3), hear from the manager as well as hear from former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher on the sides chances. We will look for now at the predicted top 10.

Premier League Preview

Chelsea

Predicted Position - 1st
Last Season - 1st
Key Signings - Richiaro Zivkovic (£16.5m From Monaco)
Key Departures - Nemanja Matic (£2.5m To Q.P.R)

Carraghers View Chelsea, champions last season will need to be under performing to lose the title this season too. Portugese manager Jose Mourinho has bought just two players for this season in 24 year old keeper Alfred Gomez from Torino and also former Monaco striker Zivkovic. Chelsea have kept the core of the side that won last season and with 37 year old captain John Terry still going strong, I believe they will secure the title again this season.

Mourinho's View. Well we are the best side in the league without a doubt and it will not be IF we will the title it will be WHEN. We will also be aiming to win the Champions League, F.A Cup and Capital One Cup.

ODDS (To win League)- Evens Fav

Manchester United

Predicted Position - 2nd
Last Season - 2nd
Key Signings - Kevin Kampl (£14.25m From Dortmund)
Key Departures - Balde Keita (£18.25m To Real Madrid)

Carraghers view Manchester United should be Chelsea's closest challengers again this season. United have great players in Grealish, Barkley, Di Maria and now new signing Kampl, which just shows what manager Ernesto Valverde wants to do at the club. Can they catch Chelsea? Well I do not think so and in actual fact other sides might catch them first. I do think they will be 2nd come the end of next season.

Valverde's View We are going to work really hard to bridge the gap to the top but Chelsea do have a great squad of players, we are getting there though and we do not expect to be too far behind at all.

ODDS - 6/4

Aston Villa

Predicted Position - 3rd
Last Season - 5th
Key Signings - Kevin de Bruyne (£56m From Barcelona), Alex Sandro (£27.5m From Porto) & Jack Wilshere (Free Transfer)
Key Departures - Daniel Sturridge (£24m To Inter), Kevin Volland (£23.5m To Barcelona) & Dorin Rotariu (£20m to Monaco)

Carraghers Views Aston Villa for me have underachieved in the last two or three years because with a rich owner and a good manager and great players they have not been as high up the table as they should have been but they had a big clear-out this summer. Players like Sturridge, Weimann and Volland were all disposed of and some good foreign AND English talent will propel them into the top 4 and comfortably so.

McGraths Views This is the season where I will be properly judged because we are going for the title this season. I have been backed by the board and Champions League football is a must for us and we will really try to give the fans something to cheer about and erase the Europa League Final heartache.

ODDS - 5/1

Everton

Predicted Position - 4th
Last Season - 3rd
Key Signings - Nelson Oliviera (£11.25m From Benfica), Karim Rekik (£6.25m From Man City) & Guilherme (Loan From Aston Villa)
Key Departures - Saul (£16.5m To Barcelona)

Carraghers Views Everton had a wonderful season last season. The loss of Saul will hit them hard but the signings of Nelson Oliviera from Benfica and Karim Rekik from Man City will prove to be great replacements. Everton finished third last season and I think that they will be around the top 4 again this season. I think Villa have leapfrogged them in terms of there business done this summer but The Toffees should make top 4.

Koemans Views We were excellent last season and we hope to build on this, this season. We did lose Saul but when Barcelona come calling, we could not stand in his way but we have got players in and I look forward to seeing Oliveira in a Everton shirt this season.

ODDS - 25/1

Arsenal

Predicted Position - 5th
Last Season - 4th
Key Signings - NONE MADE
Key Departures - Theo Walcott (£2m To Newcastle), Jack Wilshere (released)

Carraghers views Well Arsenal are in serious financial trouble. they finished forth last season but lost there place in the Champions League as they failed the FIFA Fair Play and had to sell the players earning the most money and Theo Walcott was one of the players to leave along with Jack Wilshere as Arsenal try to balance the books. I stillt hink they will challenge Everton for the top four but the bookies have installed them as third favourites to win the league but I do not agree with that and think they will finish 5th.

Pellegrini's views We have had a awful pre-season with players being released or sold so we are going to basically have to go back to square one and build from the youth up to get all the finances back on target. Luckily we have a great youth side and we will definitely bring some of them up this season.

ODDS - 3/1

Tottenham

Predicted Position - 6th
Last Season - 7th
Key Signings - Asier Illarramendi (£16m From Real Madrid) & Shinji Kagawa (£8.75m From Dortmund
Key Departures - Joshua Kimmich (£28m To P$G) & David Concha (£12m To Real Madrid)

Carraghers views Tottenham got into the Champions League this season after the most tense of Europa League finals against Aston Villa. They have sold young German midfielder Joshua Kimmich for a lot of money but have bought well with Kagawa and Illaramendi coming in. These two will end up great additions to the Spurs squad but I do no think that they are ready for the top 4 just yet and with Guardiola moving to manage England it will be a case of, can Martino carry on the good work? We will see.

Martino's views This could be a very exciting season for Tottenham Hotspur because of the Champions League, I will look to carry on the good work that Guardiola did here at the club.

ODDS - 10/1

Manchester City

Predicted Position - 7th
Last Season - 6th
Key Signings - Arezki Makhlouf (£18m From P$G), Bruno Fernandes (£16m From A.C. Milan) & Terrance Kongolo (£11m From Fayenoord)
Key Departures - Mataja Nastasic (£17m To Dortmund)

Carraghers view Man City have bought well, but I do not think they have bought enough for there aging squad. Yes Makhlouf will hit goals in but with Sergio Aguero now 30, they can not rely on him to hit the goals in consistently anymore so the young 18 year striker from P$G will have to hit the ground running, which I can not see happening straight away so expect City to be playing catch up.

Low's view Losing Nastasic is going to be a loss but I am very happy with my three signings that I have made. I feel that we can now look up the table again and challenge for the top four. This season is going to be a very important one for us and the club.

ODDS - 5/1

Liverpool

Predicted Position - 8th
Last Season - 10th
Key Signings - Luciano Vietto (£4.1m From Real Madrid)
Key Departures - Divok Origi (£15m To Barcelona)

Carraghers view My old club have not performed very well in the last 3 years and they are now known as the second best team in Merseyside but they have signed a gem in Vietto for just £4m but losing Origi is going to hit Liverpool hard. They are in a transitional period now and with that means that they have to rebuild and I see them improving slightly this season on there 10th place.

Solbakken's views We are going to do better this season, thats for sure but we are still knowhere near where I and the fans want this club to be and that is at the top of the table but we are working hard and seeing if they out perform the position everyone thinks they will finish.

ODDS - 33/1

West Ham

Predicted Position - 9th
Last Season - 11th
Key Signings - Patrick Banggard (£7m From Atlanta)
Key Departures - Andre Wisdom (£4.2m To Crystal Palace)

Carraghers view West Ham looked great at the end of last season and with the signing of Patrick Banggard, they are only going to get better in my view. West Ham were in the top 3 for form at the end of last season and I think they can grab a top half finish this season.

Hughes view We are in a good place, we did not need to sell many players but we did not buy many either as we are trying to create something special at the club. I will be happy to stay up first and foremost but then I will look to finish in the top half because these fans deserve that and a good cup run too.

ODDS - 150/1

Southampton

Predicted Position - 10th
Last Season - 8th
Key Signings - Chris Smalling (£2.6m From Man Utd)
Key Departures - Matt Phillips (£1.7m To Cardiff)

Carraghers view Southampton are a hard team to predict because in Smalling they have signed a defender who sometimes turns up, but sometimes puts in the most lethargic performances that you will ever see. They over performed last season, finishing 8th but then they did play some great football. I still think other sides have purchased better though this season.

Dave Jones views We are looking to consolidate our position in the league again this season. We have bought well in my view and contrary to reports, Smalling was my first choice and I think we will be in the top 10 again this season.

ODDS - 80/1

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Manchester United Want McGrath

Could McGrath Move To Manchester?

Manchester United have today sacked manager Ernesto Valverde after just two matches. It is understood that Manchester United have come up with a four man shortlist for the job, but firstly lets understand just WHY Valverde was gotten rid of.

His Signings

Ernesto Valverde's signings were awful. He bought a great youngster in Jack Grealish but has failed to use him like Aston Villa did. Victor Ibarbo and Ross Barkley have also failed to live up to expectations and then selling players like Balde Keita, James Wilson and Ander Herrera are seen as poor decisions to let go.

Team Performances

It seems to us that the players were NOT player for the manager but for themselves. It was not a team playing for the manager but a team playing as a bunch of individuals and this is why a new manager is needed.

What Is Needed

Manchester United are looking for a man manager and that is why they have a shortlist of four managers.

Lets look at one of the candidates

Paul McGrath - Aston Villa - 4/1

Paul McGrath, who spent time playing at Manchester United has been installed as 4/1 second favourite but with United's hierarchy looking for a good defensive manager, means that McGrath might not stand a chance even if he wanted it. On the plus side for the Villa manager though is that he has handled a lot of finances and knows how his team could find the net.