Steven Gerrard appears to have made a head start for next season already by securing some excellent players ahead of what promises to be a busy summer transfer window for Aston Villa.

With the signings of Philippe Coutinho, Boubacar Kamara, and Diego Carlos, the 42-year-old has assembled a pretty solid spine for his new-look team as he aims to get Villa into the European places next year.

There will surely be some outgoings too, with the manager keen to free up some of the wage budget and make room for other new arrivals.

One player who surely needs to leave the club is Morgan Sanson, who hasn’t quite made an impression on Gerrard.

Sanson has flopped at Villa

Since arriving at Villa Park in January 2021 for an initial £14m, the Frenchman hasn’t set the world alight and could be set for a quick exit out of the Premier League.

The midfielder has had a “frustrating” time in England, in the words of former Villa boss Dean Smith, and he only made ten appearances in the most recent top-flight campaign.

If Gerrard can recoup the majority of the fee that Villa spent on the 27-year-old, then he should be looking to sign Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as a replacement.

James Pearce has stated that the Reds could be open to offers of around £10m for the 28-year-old, and this could be a bargain for Villa.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been dubbed “unreal” in the past by journalist Joel Rabinowitz, and although he only played 29 matches in all competitions during 2021/22, he still contributed more than Sanson at Villa.

The Englishman netted twice and registered one assist in the league, compared to the French flop, who didn't contribute to a single goal for Villa in the most recent campaign.

Oxlade-Chamberlain offers a greater attacking threat, generating 21 shot-creating actions (2.41 per 90) compared to Sanson’s three (0.76 per 90)

Defensively, the 28-year-old was also by far the better player this season, winning more tackles (14 to eight) and recording more pressures (172 to 135) than Sanson.

These statistics clearly show that Gerrard could get a major upgrade on the Frenchman with a move for Oxlade-Chamberlain, and at £10m, it could well be a gamble worth taking.

AND in other news, Gerrard can land AVFC’s next Southgate with move for “outstanding” £120k-p/w warrior