Aston Villa need five new players - Dennis Mortimer
“They have the European campaign as well.”
Mortimer says much of Villa’s hopes of landing silverware may depend on O’Neill’s ability to focus on one trophy and not be side-tracked by a top-four dart.
“A lot will depend on whether the manager sets his sights on the top four again with everything else going by the board,’’ said Mortimer.
‘‘A top-four finish and nothing else – the Champions League being what it’s all about.
“As for Villa fans, I would say winning the title wouldn’t be a bad aim. That’s what I would want as a fan.
“Other than that they’d want to see them winning some kind of trophy and that would mean playing your best team and getting some sort of consistency.
“I am sure at the end of next season if Villa have won some kind of trophy and not qualified for the Champions League, that would amount to a good season.
“It is trophies that matter. We haven’t given up on trophies.
“When the season starts the Villa fans want, psychologically, to know they’ve a chance of lifting, say, the League Cup.
“That will take a bigger squad where taking one player out of the team will allow you to put another in who will do just as good a job.
“We didn’t have that last year but it isn’t going to be easy though.”
Mortimer believes O’Neill will get it right this summer in the transfer market but concedes other clubs have more financial clout to be able to afford more mistakes.
“Manchester City are spending an awful lot of money. It doesn’t necessarily mean, as we all know, that they are going to get success,” Mortimer said.
“But it certainly goes a long way to bringing success if you get the right players.
“And the one thing I can say about Martin O’Neill is that he will get the right players.”
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