A frequent lament of Aston Villa fans of late has been what it? What if the club had managed to hang on to most or all of it’s best players? What if Martin O’Neil had stayed on the job? Given what has been a fairly uneventful season the belief is that things would be better if these things had happened.
While Ashley Young, James Milner, and Stewart Downing would undoubtedly help the club and be an improvement on the players filling those positions currently it is not a guarantee of trophies or Champions League qualification.
In contrast to Aston Villa who cashed in on their star players as soon as it became clear they wanted to leave in search of Champions League football and pay rises, Villa’s opponents this weekend Everton has been far more aggressive in holding onto it’s key players. Two of the years that Villa finished 6th the Toffees finished 5th despite a wage bill significantly lower than Villa’s.
Since that time Everton have only sold three key players from those teams:
Jolean Lescott: Everton dug in their heels in an effort to keep the center back. David Moyes went as far as to start him after he handed in a transfer request, a disastrous 6-0 loss to Arsenal. Ultimately he was sold for £22m at the end of the window. Moyes used the funds to buy replacements, but adding them late in the window could very well have contributed to another slow start at Goodison.
Steven Pienaar: He was sold last winter with only six months left on his contract as Moyes held onto the player as long as possible while trying to hash out a new contract. In the end the club only received a token fee for the influential winger.
Mikel Arteta: The midfield playmaker was sold to Arsenal this summer. By that point it was clear that European qualification was likely out of Everton’s reach in the 2011-2012 season and the club needed the money. Moyes wasn’t even given the fee to reinvest as the club is saddled with debt.
Everton were and have been more successful in keeping more of their key players than Aston Villa have, but to what end? In the past five years all they have to show for their efforts are one FA Cup final, a run to the knockouts of the Europa League, and a couple 5th place finishes. While admirable given the financial restraints of the owner and the stadium it was arguably a short-term strategy. Tying up so much money in wages did not help the club come up with funds to augment the squad in the transfer market.
In that time period Villa finished 6th three times, went to a Carling Cup final, FA Cup semi-final, and also made it to the knockouts of European competition. While disappointing that that team could not or was not held together for longer Villa are in a much better position going forward. With the wage bill finally down to a manageable level one would hope the manager will be backed in the market next summer. Everton will still be saddled with debt unless a new owner is found. Villa also have a more youthful squad who can be expected to improve and help the club win or be sold for a profit.
This weekend the most played fixture in English football will match two clubs of similar stature, resources, and ambitions. Confronted with similar challenges the two clubs took different approaches in confronting them. It can be argued as to which is the correct approach and which has worked more up to now. From where I am standing the future looks brighter in the West Midlands than the blue side of Merseyside.
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