Tyrone Mings: Aston Villa new-boys have a point to prove

The towering centre-back is one of 10 signings made so far this summer by boss Dean Smith, in a spending spree which already tops £100million.

Of the new arrivals, only Mings and full-back Matt Targett have prior Premier League experience, with the former limited to just 17 top flight appearances during four injury-hit years at Bournemouth.

And he said: “In a sense, we are all out with something to prove.

“The fact I have not played as much (in the Premier League) means there is a bit of me that thinks there is now an opportunity I can fulfill the dreams and expectations I had when I first signed for Bournemouth.”

Mings, who joined for an initial £20million fee, played a key role in Villa’s promotion while on loan last term and is confident they are set for a successful top flight return.

Their spending has drawn comparisons with Fulham, who spent more than £100million a year ago, only to be relegated straight back to the Championship.

But Mings said: “Fulham is one example where teams spend big and, ultimately, they got relegated.

“But there’s been more examples in recent years where teams have gone up, spent a fair bit of money and stayed up.

“So, whilst I don’t think it necessarily guarantees success, we didn’t really have much of a choice when you look at the amount of players from last season’s squad that were released.

“It was something that we had to do.”

Midfielder Marvelous Nakamba will become the club’s 11th summer signing when he completes an £11million switch from Club Brugge.