Aston Villa Football Shirts Sales As O'Neill Sparks Revival

The Premiership has become more competitive in recent years with more teams capable of winning the league and really challenging the domination of the top four teams. In the 08-09 season it was Aston Villas turn to challenge the top four and they looked serious contenders for a Champions League spot. Villa However suffered a run a bad results in the second half of the season which resulted in them dropping down to a finishing spot of sixth but they are a young team and have the potential to get even better.

The risk that Villa run at the moment is if they will be able to hold on to their top stars. Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor and James Milner are all young England Internationals who spend most of their time in the under 21’s but do occasionally make it upto the top team. These players are the future of Villa and the potential future of England and are key to Villas continued progression but with a number of team teams circling the players there is no certainty that they can hold on to them.

Aston Villa have already lost their influential captain, Gareth Barry, this summer and are keen to add to the squad and avoid any more of their top stars leaving. If Vila can hold onto their key players then they certainly have a chance of bettering their position in the 09-10 season. Their young players are a year older and have a bit more experience that should see them avoid some of the mistakes that they made last season.

There are a few players who have been linked with moves to the club, the most notable is Michael Owen who is free to move from Newcastle. If Owen signed he would link up with former Liverpool striking partner Emile Heskey but whether the partnership would be as fruitful this time round is up for debate as Owen has not only been struggling with form but persistent injuries too.

While the signing of Owen would be a major gamble, it would definitely help raise the profile of the club, something which is probably needed if Martin O’Neill’s side are to take the next step and become genuine title contenders in the Premier League. Despite having a host of young stars, the club currently lack a world reknowned superstar who is going to be able to sell Villa merchandise in every corner of the world. The signing of Owen would certainly help raise the profile of the club throughout the world as despite his recent lack of form, he remains a respected forward around the globe thanks to his time with Liverpool and Real Madrid.

If Villa can keep their top players in an Aston Villa football shirt next year then they certainly have the foundations for another assault for a Champions League spot. There are sure to be other teams challenging though next year as Everton continue to strengthen as do Spurs, Man City and Fulham but Villa have some of the most talented youngsters in the country who have the ability and hopefully after a another full season in the Premiership have the maturity.