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Yet the pick of the lot remains the Dutch starlet Bacuna, a 21-year-old pacy customer that has been talked about across Europe for his ability to play naturally on the right back, attacking right-wing and central midfield positions. So in Lambert’s managerial diary he goes down as a player that could compete with Albrighton on the wings, cover Lawton as a full-back and float as a crucial midfield marker in the big games – all at a price of 1 million Euros. That’s some acquisition from the Scot!
His budget remains modest. His football remains rooted to result-oriented terms. And his signings so far look to have set the right tone for the upcoming season.
Swaying towards football from hoofball: boon or curse?
For the football clubs hanging in the balance of Premier League bound financial limitations, changing trends of the on-field contests don’t have much of their own voice in the boardroom conflicts. For the board, pragmatic elements like results, finances and consistency hold their dominance over other issues. And it seems after playing their customary rounds of Russian roulette in appointing the team manager every other season – the usual suspects of Bruce, Hughes, Mcleish and McCarthy – few Premier League teams – including Villa – have genuinely opted for a change.
After witnessing recent examples of Norwich, Swansea and Wigan led by young managers that adhered to modern styles, clubs like Aston Villa with a shrewd managerial talent like Lambert have envisioned a long-term project of their own. Building a sustainable model is only going to help this budding Villa side that aspires for a European berth this season. And if they are going to build on to what we saw last season against the likes of City and Liverpool, Villa may no more be the pushovers they were deemed to be few years ago.
However, with visible opportunities are clinging risks that are bound to hamper a side’s progress. Recent examples like Sunderland and QPR point to the fact that wholesale changes to the squad could also amount to some horrid self-implosions – and precaution against them is mandatory.
Villa have been more cautious in building their new side under Paul Lambert, as the budget hasn’t touched the roof. Moreover, Lambert revels in the luxuries of building on what actually was a promising squad around their main striker Christian Benteke – another coup that agreed for a crucial contract extension recently.
As compared to Sunderland and QPR from last season, Lambert’s theories look way more resourceful, purely based on the availability of academy and foreign produce that could cater to his needs, at least for this domestic season.
What does it offer to the on-looking Villans?
Nothing is more refreshing for the fans than some promising strides off some of the new signings. And the Villans to their advantage have five of them to look forward to this season. Moreover, with the growth of the likes of Lawton and the ever-intriguing second season of a striker as good as Benteke, Lambert has every right to be optimistic ahead of the season.
Although visits to Arsenal and Chelsea as their first two fixtures of the season are far from ideal, let’s hope they do little to affect the rising morale of Lambert and his boys.
