Despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of the club, Aston Villa are set to make funds available for Paul Lambert to spend in the January transfer window.
Randy Lerner placed the Midlands giants up for sale back in May, but he was still happy for his manager to make the necessary additions to his squad during the summer. It is believed £15million was made available in transfer fees and wages ahead of the current season, when the Villa boss was able to add eight players to his pool, mostly made up of free transfers and loan deals.
Although they were second best to Arsenal last weekend, Villa have made a strong start to the campaign with a 1-0 win at Liverpool, last season’s runners-up, a particular highlight. Ahead of their trip to title favourites and current leaders Chelsea on Saturday afternoon, Lambert’s side sit third in the table, a position not even the most optimistic fan can realistically expect them to maintain.
However, there is no reason why Villa can’t at least avoid a repeat of the last three years when they have battled against relegation. Their chances of such will naturally be enhanced if Lambert is allowed to scour the transfer market when it reopens in January, and the former Scotland international has revealed that he has already been given assurances over doing just that.
“I’ve spoken to Tom Fox [Aston Villa’s chief executive] about January and whether we need to do something, ultimately the decision will come from the chairman,” Lambert is quoted in The Telegraph. “If he think it’s right for the club he looks at it. If it’s too dear he’ll say no but he’s never turned me away from anything. It all depends on the personnel and hopefully no injuries.”
Meanwhile, Villa are also hopeful of tying Jack Grealish to a new contract. The 19-year-old has made three substitute appearances in the Premier League this season and also started the League Cup defeat to Leyton Orient, but his current contract is due to expire in June and Chelsea are monitoring his situation. Lambert is also naturally eager to secure new deals for Fabian Delph and Ron Vlaar, both of whom are also in the final year of their existing agreements.
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