‘The best of British’ is often a slogan used in the culinary world to entice would be buyers to a product but of late it has come to describe the transfer policy of Aston Villa F.C.
Martin O’Neill is clearly a firm believer in sticking with what you know and the Villa boss is hopeful that the home grown talent he has brought in during the summer transfer window will provide the recipe for success.
And, with Villa the second biggest Barclays Premier League spenders this summer, you would expect a pretty special season ahead wouldn’t you? But can O’Neill and his seven new signings really challenge what now looks to be a Big Five?
It seems that opinion is divided on the subject, mainly due to the nature of the acquisitions made by the Northern Irishman.
As has been the norm during his spell at the club, O’Neill has brought in men he knows will do a job and players he has had first-hand experience of.
In Stewart Downing, signed from Middlesbrough for £12m, he has a player who can provide pinpoint passes from across the midfield and add a bit of flair with his wand of a left foot.
However, Downing is clearly no Lionel Messi, and he would not even have given Paul Merson a run for his money back in the day.
Merson was an iconic player, one who would get bums on seats and then off them. He added such inspiration to an otherwise steady John Gregory side.
And, although fans want players in their side who won’t shy away from a battle, they are not averse to someone who can light up a game in an instant. Can Downing really do that and provide the spark needed to drive his team mates to victories? It has to be said it is doubtful.
Elite
What is not in doubt is the effort that the ex-Boro boy will put in. He is much like James Milner, Nigel Reo-Coker and Steve Sidwell in that respect.
Some may say that Ashley Young and Stiliyan Petrov are the playmaker types, but they do not take it upon themselves to play telling through balls and unleash shots 25 yards from goal that hit the top corner.
They play brilliantly in their roles on the left flank and in defensive midfield respectively but neither are really given license to roam, mainly because their talents lie in their specialist roles.
Villa could do with a match winner, a man who can flip a game on its head in an instant. It is said that slow and steady wins the race but does it really catapult you ahead of an elite who are moving at the speed of light in terms of the talent they have to offer.
The second signing of the summer, Fabian Delph, is one player who has the promise to eventually grace the Champions League. The former Leeds teenager has everything you need to reach the top. He has a superb, touch a tough tackling ability and a rocket launcher of a left foot.
But, he is still raw. The worry is that he will take a long time to stamp his authority on the midfield of a team which should be looking to tackle the pantheon of English football in the near future.
Supporters will say that the top six is the best Villa could and should hope for. But why, when O’Neill has outspent the likes of Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson in the last couple of years?
Wenger built a successful side without a huge pot of money so surely with £41m spent this summer Villa should begin to believe they can take on Arsenal. And so to the issue of buying British.
Gunners boss Wenger, to his immense credit, has brought in players from all over the world for minimal fees and turned them into title chasing material.
Pressure
The likes of Cesc Fabregas and Abou Diaby are examples of his sensational scouting ability and the voids left in his side by Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure have quickly been plugged with arguably better yet cheaper players.
Adebayor signed for Arsenal £7m, he left for £25m. Toure netted Wenger a cool £9m profit when he joined his fellow African star at Eastlands and that again served to illustrate the brilliance of Wenger in the transfer market.
O’Neill’s current squad has cost as much if not more than Arsenal’s to assemble and it must now be time for Villa to start gunning for the North London side.
The captures of Stephen Warnock from Blackburn and Richard Dunne from Man City should aid that challenge but are they really top premier league players?
The speciality of managers like Ferguson and Wenger is their ability to marry academy talent with overseas imports, not just deal in one or the other.
Villa’s transfer policy is admirable but is it not true that players from abroad often cost less than British players of the same standard?
It certainly remains to be seen whether ‘The best of British’ can really challenge at the top of the best league in the world but with expenditure comes pressure and O’Neill will know that just as much as Mark Hughes at moneybags City.
It is fair to say that Villa have spent nowhere near as much as the Blue Moon boys but they have spent more than Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea this summer.
There comes a point when fans will demand some silverware and a top four challenge. Every supporter should realise that O’Neill has the management style to bring long-awaited glory to Villa but will his cautious transfer policy hinder the push?
Ins
Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough £12m), Fabian Delph (Leeds United £7m), Andy Marshall (Unattached), Habib Beye (Newcastle United £2.5m), Stephen Warnock (Blackburn Rovers £7m), James Collins (West Ham United £5m), Richard Dunne (Manchester City £6m)
Outs
Gareth Barry (Manchester City £12m), Stuart Taylor (Manchester City £1.5m), Zat Knight (Bolton Wanderers £4.5m)