Relegation poaching: Who should your team steal from Aston Villa?

So far I have profiled a few of the teams likely to drop and looked at what players would be good to buy in such circumstances. Aston Villa are still involved in the relegation battle, and although the squad isn’t great from top to bottom, there are some good players that could help teams who will be playing in the Premier League last season. Note: I am leaving Christian Benteke off of this list.

Remember, I will be rating the likelihood on a scale of 1-10, with 10 meaning that a team Should be interested, not that they necessarily Are interested.

Fabian Delph: A central midfielder who will probably win the Aston Villa Player of the Season Award, Fabian Delph has had a breakout year. Scoring spectacular goals against Southampton and Chelsea has brought him some attention, but he has really come into his own as a box-to-box midfielder.

Likelihood rating: 10/10. Delph would start or be first off the bench in almost any midfield in the league. His price would probably be around £15m, which is a bargain really.

Jores Okore: Brought in from FC Nordsjælland last year for just under £4 million, Villa fans haven’t seen a lot of Jores Okore. However, we like what we have seen. Okore is strong and powerful, but unfortunately was lost to a cruciate injury for most of this season. We may see him return for the final two matches.

Likelihood rating: 6/10. Teams can be reluctant to bring players in off of long injury layoffs, which is why the rating is that low. He could be a special player and is only 21 years old.

Brad Guzan: Having performed well for the last two years behind an inconsistent backline, Brad Guzan has still put up reasonably good numbers. He has kept nine clean sheets this season, a decent amount for still having conceded 53 goals. He would start at most clubs in the Premier League.

Likelihood rating: 9/10. He would command a fee around £7m or so, and would need to get off the books if Villa drop.

Marc Albrighton: Possibly a surprising mention to some of you reading this, but anyone who has been watching Villa lately knows Marc Albrighton provides one of the only sparks in a sometimes dull Villa lineup. An excellent crosser of the ball, the 24-year-old wide man’s contract is expiring at the end of June.

Likelihood rating: 9/10. Valued at around £2m, but with an expiring contract, he may be available for free. He would be a useful right winger for about half the teams in the league next year, with a lot of room for growth.

Who would you like (or not like) to see poached from Aston Villa if they somehow cannot avoid the dreaded drop? Let us know in the comments.

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