Steve Bruce: Aston Villa players know what I want next season
Steve Bruce claims Villa’s players have been left in no doubt as to the improved standards which will be required next season if the club are to be serious promotion contenders.
The boss branded this year’s 13th-placed finish as ‘unacceptable’ yet opted against holding a formal debrief with his squad, believing the message should have already got across.
“We are 13th and it is not good enough for a club like ours,” he said. “I think the players know by now that we have to improve if we are going to be successful.”
Bruce, who made seven permanent signings during the January transfer window, will concentrate on adding ‘three or four’ quality additions over the course of the summer, while a number of players will leave.
Speculation now surrounds the future of left-back Jordan Amavi, with reports in France claiming the 23-year-old has switched agents with a view to engineering a move.
Amavi endured an inconsistent campaign following his recovery from a serious knee injury but still has several suitors on the continent, with Marseille thought to have approached Villa concerning his availability during the January window.
