Insider reveals what Steven Gerrard 'wants' in summer at Aston Villa

According to journalist Dean Jones, Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard wants to sign “Champions League-level” players as he aims to establish the Midlands outfit as a top Premier League club.

Since earning promotion back to the Premier League in 2019, the Villans have been amongst the biggest spenders in the top flight. In fact, during that time, only seven clubs across the globe have parted with more than Villa’s £351.6m outlay.

Having only joined the Villa Park side from Rangers in November, Gerrard did not oversee the majority of those transfers. However, the former Liverpool captain was influential in the signings of Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho, both of whom have played at the highest level of club football.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones said Gerrard wants to add players of a similar quality to his squad moving forward.

He explained: “So, he’s got high standards, and if he’s going to bring in Champions League-level players, which is what he wants, he knows that that’s got to be on a major basis.

“It can’t just be one or two, because those players need to have that quality around them.”

TIF Thoughts on Gerrard’s transfer plans…

For all of Villa’s heavy spending, they have failed make a real impression on the Premier League. After splurging more than £100m ahead of their first season back amongst the elite, Villa only secured survival on the final day of the campaign. Last term, they spent a little less, but still parted with around £91m. Ultimately, that translated to an 11th-place finish.

As it stands, the 1982 European Cup winners are ninth, but considering they trail Wolves in eighth by 10 points, they will unlikely move further up the table. Perhaps the calibre of the players brought in is a reason why they