Aston Villa: 'Four or five' first-team players could leave Villa Park

Aston Villa could offload ‘four or five players’ from Steven Gerrard’s first-team squad when the summer transfer market reopens, according to journalist Dean Jones.

It’s been a mixed start to life at the Midlands outfit for the 41-year-old tactician since his arrival from Scottish giants Rangers back in November, leading to speculation over several fringe stars.

Villa have splashed out around £350 million on new signings since winning promotion back to the Premier League following a three-year absence, but not all of their acquisitions have turned out as hoped.

The likes of Wesley, Morgan Sanson and Bertrand Traore have failed to live up to expectations, ultimately contributing to the dismissal of former manager Dean Smith.

A run of five consecutive defeats saw Smith relieved of his duties back in November, and Gerrard witnessed an initial bounce after succeeding the popular figure.

Back-to-back victories over Brighton and Crystal Palace kickstarted the new era at Villa Park, before wins against Leicester and Norwich were sandwiched either side of defeats to title-challengers Liverpool and Manchester City.

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However, a run of just one victory in their next eight fixtures in all competitions followed, resulting in Villa being booed off the pitch by their own supporters after losing to Watford.

Gerrard will surely have been relieved to stop the rot last time then, picking up a much-needed three points following their trip to the Amex Stadium, although that result is unlikely to change his long-term plans.

In the January transfer window, Gerrard wasted no time in making his mark on the squad available to him, bringing in Lucas Digne and Philippe