Aston Villa And The Case Of The Missing Links

As seen in the Express and Star this morning:

After the completion of the Charles N’Zogbia deal, there are no fresh links today.

Do you know what we haven't had yet this summer? A rumor linking us to Robbie Keane. Somewhere, some journalist has got to make that connection again, particularly since we just landed Shay Given and hey, they must be friends, right? Also, let's revive those connections to Thomas Hitzlsperger, because he's absolutely adored by the fans. And speaking of returning players, James Milner is clearly unhappy at Manchester City, so we'll want to snag him too.

In all honesty, I'm fine with no "fresh links", which is odd, considering I was demanding a keeper (obtained) and an entire new back line after the season ended. But it seems that Alex McLeish wants a return to 2009-2010--no surprise there, really, he was a defender and he's clearly defensively minded. Stephen Warnock has fought his way back into the side, while Stiliyan Petrov and Jean Makoun will do their best to ensure Richard Dunne and James Collins really don't have a lot to do. Yet somehow, the team isn't as boring as one might expect from a focus on defense.

Would it have been better to be able to land Scott Parker? Probably. But is this a squad that can establish itself safely, get Villa back on solid footing, and get us to a point where we can make the exciting signings and push for something other than mid-table mediocrity? Absolutely.