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As Aston Villa gear up for life back in the Premier League their squad will need significant improving. Finishing fifth best in the Championship is enough evidence of that.

Gaining promotion means that Dean Smith will have to be smart in the transfer window and the possible arrival of a man who scored double figures last term shows they're making the right strides.

Per The Daily Mail, the club are expected to bid for Joe Lolley this summer in a transfer that could finally solve Smith's problems in a wide area.

After Albert Adomah was released last weekend, a new winger will clearly be needed. There is an option to buy in the terms of Anwar El Ghazi's loan but his future still seems uncertain.

The only natural winger left on their books permanently is Andre Green, a player who has raw potential but isn't good enough yet for the Premier League.

Villa's top scorer from a wide area last season was indeed El Ghazi. He found the back of the net six times but only averaged 1.9 shots per game.

If you compare that to Lolley, there is a sizeable difference.

The Nottingham Forest man was sensational, scoring 11 goals and also claiming 11 assists in the Championship, something that nearly doubles his potential teammate's figures.

On average, the winger had three shots per game, underlying the constant goal threat he can provide.

During two matches, the 26-year-old managed seven shots in a single game. Remarkably Forest lost both of them, being defeated by Blackburn and Sheffield Wednesday. However, that doesn't tell the whole story about his performance levels.

Back in October, Lolley claimed four assists and a goal as his side drew 5-5 with Dean Smith's men. It was a frantic game but on that occasion, he only had two shots.

Out of the 46 matches the former Huddersfield man played in, only four of them saw him unable to muster an attempt on goal. Two of those games he appeared as a substitute in.

Lolley's goal threat is significant and if the Villans are wanting to find more end product from a wide area this summer, they could do far worse than pursuing him further.