Image via Roger Gorączniak
Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert looks set to continue with his faith in the younger players in his squad rather than turn to more experienced players, as many have suggested in the past year.
Lambert has already added Bulgarian Aleksandar Tonev (pictured) to his squad for next season, who is just 23-years-old. The news of the latest acquisition comes following the extension of 22-year-old Nathan Baker‘s contract. It is clear Lambert has a trust in the younger members of his squad, who helped keep the club in the Premier League last season, as they also released Richard Dunne after four seasons at Villa.
Last season, particularity in the first few months and towards the ends, Villa showed the potential and talent that they posses going forward. With Tonev coming in as another young and ambitious attacking player, they seem to have decent options in attack.
One of the downfalls for Villa last season was their ability to close out games, after initially taking the lead. This resulted in a lot of suggestions that they needed to add a few experienced heads. But, having shown the ability to fight their way towards safety last year I think it is understandable to see such trust from Lambert.
However, the unknown future that surrounds Christian Benteke could be a deciding factor in determining Villa’s ambitions next season. If they do manage to keep hold of him, and bring Darren Bent‘s game back to a decent level, then things will be looking far brighter.
Similarities can be made between the club Lambert was a player for, Borussia Dortmund and Villa’s philosophy now. They both seem to stay away from players with higher reputations and age levels; instead having faith in the confidence, exuberance and energy of youth.
It will be an interesting topic to return to come the close of the transfer window, but for now it seems that Lambert is happy to keep the core of his squad the same. But one thing that must be stressed is they still need one or two more reliable additions.
Stowe Gregory is an English featured Soccer and Sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him or tweet on Twitter @stowegregory. Or add to circles on Google +
