Steven Gerrard makes Aston Villa transfer promise as Christian Purslow helps wrap up new contract

Hello and welcome to our morning Aston Villa bulletin from ahead of Villa's fixture with Arsenal later. Here's the top stories ahead of today's 12.30pm kick-off.

Aston Villa have taken just four points from a possible 33 against sides above them in the Premier League this season. It's a trend Gerrard realises Aston Villa must buck - starting later against fourth-placed Arsenal.

He said: "The teams at the top are there for a reason. It’s about consistency, they’ve recruited well, they’ve got experience and some have got managers who have been with them for some time.

"There’s a reality to where we’re at at the moment but that’s the area of the league we need to strive for, it’s where we want to be operating of course. I’m very much aware of the stats and those results but today gives us another opportunity to try to prove that when we’re at our best we can take points off the top teams and the teams that are above us."

Tim Iroegbunam has signed a new contract at Aston Villa after making his first-team breakthrough this season. The 18-year-old will now become a full-time member of Steven Gerrard's first-team having impressed the Liverpool legend and his backroom team since they took over at Villa Park in November.

The midfielder’s deal runs until 2027 and he will be hoping for more opportunities to show what is capable of this campaign. Gerrard has spoken about Iroegbunam having "a fantastic profile for a No.6" - a position that's vital to the way the head coach wants to play at Villa.

"He's a long project for us to work at," Gerrard added. "He's still very raw but he's got a lot of attributes that we like. He's one I'm excited to keep developing and keep polishing up. He's a great kid, humble, and needs to keep