Paul Lambert admits for Aston Villa to compete with the best clubs in the country, they need some big investment as soon as possible.
Having narrowly avoided relegation under the unpopular Alex McLeish during the 2011-12 season, fans were initially impressed with the vision and energy Lambert injected into the side last term. However, results tailed away and they finished just five points above the relegation zone, and there has been very little progress since.
Indeed, they are again five points above the drop this time round, and although they have the comfort of a game in hand, these are worrying times for Villa’s long-suffering supporters. As well as an element requesting for a change in manager, faith has also been lost in club owner Randy Lerner, who is believed to be willing to sell the Midlands outfit.
Earlier this week the American revealed he would address the speculation of a sale at the end of the season, amidst reports of interest from his homeland and Russia. And Lambert admits that for a club the size of Villa, they should be competing at the top of the Premier League, but they need some investment to make such progress.
“With the size of this football club, with the fanbase it’s got, I never came here to sit like this,” he said. “But this football club has been in a position these past four years of mediocrity. That’s the bottom line. It will need investment, that’s for sure, to compete at the top end. If you’re going to go and buy players, then you will need money.”
If a new owner takes over the club during the summer, this will more than likely lead to question marks over the future of Lambert. The former Norwich City boss can’t fail to be aware that a number of Villa fans are losing patience with results and his methods, but the 52-year-old insists he remains committed and intends to stick around.
“I am relaxed, I am not uptight about anything,” he added. “I am here to win football matches. If a new owner comes in you have a conversation, that’s normal. But I fully intend to be here. That’s me being totally honest. If people come in, you sit with them and see what happens. If not, you sit with Randy, which I tend to do at the end of the season.”
Villa resume their battle against the drop this weekend, when they travel to Wales to take on Swansea City. Hull City visit the Midlands the following weekend, before Lambert and his players end the campaign with back-to-back away fixtures, at Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. What happens next, only time will tell.
