Two of Martin O'Neill's new boys make signings of the season list but how well have his other big money buys perfomed
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With the news that James Milner and Brad Friedel have been named in The Daily Mail's list of this season's top ten signings, here at Villa-MAD we decided to take a look at every one of Martin O'Neill's most recent buys.
Milner and Friedel have undoubtedly been successful captures but what about Luke Young, Carlos Cuellar, Emile Heskey and co. Have they lived up to expectations?
July 3 - Curtis Davies (£9m from West Brom)
The former Baggies and Luton centre back started the season well as he formed a brilliant barrier alongside Martin Laursen. The pair managed to shut out Liverpool at Villa Park in late August and a series of impressive displays were to follow.
Fortunately for Davies, his weaknesses were often covered up by his imposing Danish defensive partner and when Laursen suffered an injury against West Brom the young England man was thrown in at the deep end.
Zat Knight and Davies initially formed a good understanding but the cracks soon began to appear culminating in a poor spell which saw a massive 13 goals conceded in just four games between March 15 and April 12. Unfortunately for Villa and Davies, the loss of Laursen has been fatal.
Value for money 3/10
July 10 - Steve Sidwell (£5m from Chelsea)
The ginger ninja arrived with a good pedigree following a spell alongside Frank Lampard and Michael Essien among others at Chelsea. Unfortunately for Sidwell, he never managed to cement a place in the first team and it was always going to be difficult for a man with a modest reputation to break the big money monopoly in West London.
So, he came to Villa with a renewed sense of optimism and the tag of 'Gareth Barry's replacement'. But, much to the surprise of the former Reading man, Barry stayed at Villa Park. That meant Sidwell again found his starting XI chances limited and despite scoring a few important goals, including a first minute belter at Everton, he was left in the cold again. And, to this day, he is still warming the bench.
Value for money - 5/10
July 26 - Brad Friedel (£2m from Blackburn)
The American stopper has made his presence felt since a summer move from Ewood Park. He has managed to resist the challenge of countryman Brad Guzan by putting in some great performances to earn Villa vital points.
Friedel was a big part of the seven match winning streak away from home and he cannot be blamed for the recent loss in form.
It is true that anyone could look good in the No1 jersey after the horror show that was Scott Carson last season but make no mistake; Friedel deserves his place and his superb reputation.
Value for money - 9/10
August 1 - Brad Guzan (£600,000 from Chivas USA)
Guzan was signed as an understudy to Brad Friedel with Stuart Taylor not deemed good enough to fill the back-up role at Villa Park. The young American arrived with an ever-growing reputation and he has done nothing wrong so far.
The best moment for the 24 year old came against Slavia Prague in the Czech capital as he singlehandedly kept Villa in the game as they claimed a vital 1-0 win in the UEFA Cup group stages.
Value for money - 7/10
August 7 - Nicky Shorey (£3.5m from Reading)
The talented left back came to Villa Park on the back of being named in the greatest Reading team of all time. He already had an England cap to his name and looked good value for the amount Villa paid for him.
Unfortunately, it did not start well for Shorey and he was given little chance of a reprieve as fellow new signing Luke Young stole his place in the team despite not being a natural in the left full back role.
Shorey had to wait until the 3-2 defeat at Manchester United on April 5 to get back into Premier League contention and he managed to impress. That performance has seen him shoot back into favour with Young moved into a more accustomed right sided slot.
Shorey may not play a huge part next season with Wilfred Bouma set for a return to full fitness but he is not doing himself any harm by putting in some fine recent displays.
Value for money - 6/10
August 8 - Luke Young (£5m from Middlesbrough)
This man has quite simply been fantastic from start to finish this season.
After being pushed into an unfamiliar left sided role, Young put in some solid displays adding defensive resilience and attacking energy.
His departure from Middlesbrough outraged the Teesside faithful and it is no surprise to see them struggling after letting go of a real gem.
Fabio Capello recognised Young by naming him in the squad to play Spain in February but unfortunately the defender sustained an injury which ruled him out of the game.
Young is a big contender for Villa Player of the Year.
Value for money - 10/10
August 12 - Carlos Cuellar (£7.5m from Rangers)
The Spanish centre half nicknamed 'Ugly Betty' has been a big disappointment since his summer arrival from Scotland.
Fans have seen little that will inspire them to believe that Cuellar can replace Martin Laursen and he will have a lot to do next season to justify his large price tag.
The former Rangers man has been unlucky to find himself playing mainly at right back but his distribution is simply shocking and it is something he really needs to work on.
It is hard to see how he managed to help his former club to a UEFA Cup final but, as with many of Martin O'Neill's buys, he may just come good during his second campaign at the club.
Value for money - 2/10
August 30 - James Milner (£12m from Newcastle)
Kevin Keegan really did not want this man to leave St James' Park at the end of the summer transfer window and it is easy to see why.
Milner is a winger with a bright future and he is finally fulfilling his teenage promise. The big price that was paid for him shocked some but as the season has progressed he has shown why he is one of England's hottest properties.
The tireless winger scored a crucial winner at West Ham in December, albeit a little fortuitous, and also netted cracking goals against Blackburn and Everton.
Milner is a man on the up and with Fabio Capello publicly illustrating a strong liking for the dynamic wide man, don't be surprised to see him in plenty of future England squads.
Value for money - 8/10
January 23 - Emile Heskey (£3.5m from Wigan)
The big England centre forward has always divided the opinions of fans and his time at Villa has been no different.
Heskey, a former Bluenose, was never going to be the most popular of signings but it was recognised that Villa needed reinforcements to sustain a Champions League challenge and the striker was deemed to possess the necessary experience.
After scoring on his debut at Portsmouth it all looked rosy for Michael Owen's favourite sidekick but since then he has suffered with injury and struggled for goals.
Heskey has never been the most prolific of front men but he undoubtedly puts the effort in, a fact which has gone unnoticed by many fans.
Value for money - 6/10
So, there you have it - the great and the not so good of Martin O'Neill's new boys.
Luke Young and James Milner have managed to show their qualities. But don't be too disheartened Emile, Carlos and Steve because as Stiliyan Petrov has shown - you can go from zero to hero in just one summer.
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