Things, it has to be said, are pretty glum at Aston Villa right now. One win in eleven Championship games has been a very poor start to life in the second tier and duly Roberto Di Matteo lost his job despite only being appointed in the Summer.
Who Villa get in to replace him still remains to be seen but their fans will be desperate someone with experience of the league and earning promotion will be at the top of the board’s shortlist.
Whether they can get promotion this season is also well up in the air but you can’t say their squad isn’t capable of it. Villa actually have some very talented individuals who need to start showing it more because, as the valuations on transfermarkt.co.uk suggest, they’re performing below par.
Here, then, are the ten most valuable players Villa have…
10. Ashley Westwood – £3.4m
A few years ago some were calling for Westwood to get into the England squad but his career has certainly fallen away from that since. He’s good midfield player, though, and seems like the kind of professional that the club need right now both on and off the pitch.
9. Micah Richards – £3.83m
Another player who had an exciting future, Richards career has been ruined by a run of injuries and severe lack of form. At one point he looked like one part of the future England defence but that is long gone now and the midlands club will be hoping he can rediscover somewhere near his best soon.
8. Jack Grealish – £3.83m
The FA fought pretty hard to make Grealish eligible for England but since he hasn’t looked close to representing the Three Lions. His talent is undoubted but he does face the very real possibility of wasting it if he doesn’t get going soon. Nevertheless, many clubs would be willing to take a punt on him.
7. Mile Jedinak – £4.25m
Jedinak looked like the kind of player Villa needed in midfield. A real warrior and leader he looked like the perfect man to shake the squad into shape but even he has struggled to impose himself. It’s early days in his Villa career, though, so all is not lost just yet.
6. James Chester – £5.1m
The Wales international has seen his value increase in recent times and that suggests he is performing well enough for Villa. He has both Championship and Premier League experience under his belt and that could come in handy should the club return to the top flight.
5. Rudy Gestede – £5.95m
At Championship level Gestede can be a bit of a bully, if he gets the service. He has three goals in his ten appearances which suggests he’s been feeding on scraps this season. If Villa can get him scoring they should be alright but it’s a big if right now.
4. Jordan Ayew – £6.38m
Ayew is a very talented footballer but he’s arguably missed the boat to play Premier League football in the near future unless he gets Villa up. He has the ability to make something out of nothing for the midlands side and that is really what the club need him to do.
3. Jordan Amavi – £8.5m
Amavi may find himself out of the club should they continue to struggle because he is a player with the potential to make them a fair bit of money. He’s good as both a full back and wing back, suiting the departed Di Matteo’s 3-5-2 and the new manager will surely want to keep hold of him.
2. Jonathan Kodjia – £8.5m
The new signing in the Summer has not really got going at all this season. He came in from Bristol City expected to play a big part this season but it hasn’t happened for him just yet and his high placing on this list can only go down to the fact he is a recent acquisition.
1. Ross McCormack – £8.5m
The former Fulham and Leeds man has plenty of Championship experience and is a real threat up top so when Villa got him they must have felt confident they’d be competing at the top this season. As we’ve seen, though, that still hasn’t come to pass and if he can’t get firing in a division where he so often has, the club will be really scratching their heads.