'They could do with...' - Journo urges Gerrard to address one thing he must 'fix' at Aston Villa

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard should be looking to strengthen his wide attacking options in the upcoming summer transfer window, according to journalist Josh Holland.

At present, the 41-year-old has Leon Bailey, Emi Buendia and Bertrand Traore at his disposal out the wide, with injuries and poor form affecting those players throughout the season.

A combination of a lack of options and misfiring wingers has led Gerrard to operate primarily with a formation focused on central areas, as John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey and Philippe Coutinho spearhead the midfield.

However, the Villa manager could well be on the lookout for influential wingers before the start of the 2022/23 campaign, with the boss himself recently saying that he needs to “fix” some issues within the squad…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Holland talked up the idea of Villa targeting Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha.

He outlined: “Someone like Wilfried Zaha, who can play out wide, sit behind or play ahead (would be a good signing).

“But winger-wise, they could do with someone as well, yet the system that Gerrard played against Spurs, for example, didn’t have any wingers. At some points, you see Watkins go on the left and Coutinho on the right, but mainly it’s a 4-3-1-2.”

Having allowed Trezeguet and Anwar El Ghazi to leave in the January transfer window, Villa’s remaining natural wingers Bailey and Traore have made 26 combined outings this season across all competitions, scoring just once.

However, whilst Zaha – who has 13 goals and two assists this term – would undoubtedly be an upgrade on the current wide options for the Villans, he might not represent good value. At the age of 29 and valued at £36m by Transfermarkt, the Ivory Coast star would be an expensive