Antonio Conte's comment about Aston Villa reflects the challenge they face

Aston Villa have unquestionably come on leaps and bounds in a short space of time under NSWE.

They ploughed hundreds of millions of pounds into the playing squad after securing promotion and have invested heavily since in order to keep the club there again.

The appointment of Steven Gerrard earlier this season opened more doors for Villa, too, when it came to recruitment and the January transfer window proved that - especially with the captures of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne.

It points to a promising summer window, headed by an ambitious manager who is set to be backed once more by wealthy owners who are keen to sample success and ensure the club are making good progress.

Villa are among the the group of clubs who are circling beneath the traditional ‘top six’ - or certainly have the tools to become a side who regularly challenge the Premier League heavyweights on a regular basis - as Leicester City, West Ham, Wolves and Southampton have all done at various points in recent years.

Indeed in the case of many of those clubs, they’ve displaced the so-called top six who have shown signs of weakness in that time; it’s been a long time since Tottenham and Arsenal, for example, have been able to guarantee themselves a top four spot in the same way that Liverpool or Chelsea might.

In the case of Spurs, who are in the middle of a battle for fourth, they’re now fishing in a different pond when it comes to transfer dealings. That’s the view of their own manager, Antonio Conte.

The club made two signings in January, eventually seeing off interest from Villa themselves for Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur. Battling the likes of Villa, and others, are where Spurs are at right now, Conte says.

That represents the progress