Villa should be in no rush to sell Sinclair or Westwood

With Tony Xia finally installed as the new owner of Aston Villa there's no rush to sell either of Scott Sinclair or Ashley Westwood despite interest from Celtic and Burnley respectively.

A number of papers have reported on Brendan Rodgers' interest in making Sinclair his first new signing at Celtic but Villa firmly rebuffed an initial offer believed to have been around £2 million. The Daily Mail reported Villa value him at around £6m.

Rodgers was the wide man's boss in his best years at Swansea before he moved to Manchester City, including a 19 goal season in the Championship.  But Roberto Di Matteo seems to believe the 27-year-old could still recapture some of that form.

Rumours have linked Burnley to Ashley Westwood for months but the Lancashire Telegraph has reported that his £40,000 a week wages might be a problem. The midfielder only signed a new five-year deal a month ago and while Villa fans aren't as keen on him as they once were, he's still regarded as a steady presence at the club.

Opinion: It's good to see Villa trying to build a core

While many Villa fans understandably want to see a complete overhaul after last season's catastrophe, they should be heartened that Tony Xia and Roberto Di Matteo are apparently in no rush to sell without a good deal.

Sinclair and Westwood might have been disappointing last season but there's no indication they had the unprofessional or toxic effects of players like Gabby Agbonlahor or Joleon Lescott. They are the ones who need to be offloaded as soon as possible.

Both Sinclair and Westwood have a lot to prove but they have qualities that are valuable in the Championship. Sinclair is still a pacy attacker, Westwood still has a rare tidiness with the ball. Villa need speed and possession and there's no guarantee they can easily sign better players.

That doesn't mean fans shouldn't demand a lot more of them. Sinclair needs to score more, Westwood needs to start adding more assists and improve his set-piece delivery. But there's a lot of money that could be wasted on chasing their upgrades instead of buying in key areas and replacing players who want to move.

Tommy Elphick was such a heartening signing because he was a leader at Bournemouth and suggested Villa were finally looking to get a cohesive team on the pitch. But if Villa start the season with 11 totally new players on the pitch it's hard to imagine getting off to a quick start.

What do you think? Are these players that Villa can build around or part of the problem? Let us know in the comments.