Aston Villa have suffered a mixed season in the Premier League so far, with the club appointing Steven Gerrard in mid-November in order to take them to the next level, it hasn’t really worked out like that.
Although Gerrard has only had one January window to bring in his own players and a full summer and pre-season will give more of an indication of where things lie.
Bringing in Philippe Coutinho on loan during January was a masterstroke and there will be hopes that a permanent deal can be sorted, although there are talks of Villa landing a Premier League talent.
Journalist Josh Holland told GIVEMESPORT that Villa should sign £36m-rated Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace and he would be a “good signing."
The winger has received praise throughout his Palace career with Tony Cascarino dubbing him “unplayable” at times, whilst former manager Roy Hodgson labelled him a “game-changer” and on that basis, he would be an excellent acquisition for Gerrard and his team.
There is no question that he would be an upgrade on Leon Bailey too, with Zaha scoring 12 goals to Bailey's one this season in the league (although he has played 11 more games).
Zaha has completed 78.8% of his passes compared to just 66.5% for Bailey, while the Palace winger creates almost four times as many shot-creating actions (94) in contrast to the Villa player (21).
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These attacking and passing stats prove that Gerrard and NSWE can definitely seal an upgrade on the player who signed for Villa for a sizeable £25m just last summer.
The Palace winger won't come cheap, but if Gerrard can sell a few players and make a profit, then there is no reason why he can't add the talented player to his squad for next season.
He could be all the difference in a chase for a European spot.