Dean Smith has sat down with VillaTV for a wide-ranging interview as Aston Villa approach the 2021/22 season.
The head coach discussed a number of topics including the summer break, pre-season, his coaching set-up, the departure of Jack Grealish, the opening match of the Premier League season against Watford, aspirations for the new campaign, the return of fans and much more.
Smith acknowledges the size of the task ahead in an ever-competitive top flight, but he is confident and excited that progress can continue to be made on the pitch.
And after a consistent improvement during his time in charge, Smith is once again aiming high.
He said: “Our job now is to progress the football club again. It will be tough, we know that.
"The clubs that we have to go and pass now are clubs that have been established in the top 10, like Everton, Arsenal, Tottenham and Leicester, teams like that.
“It becomes a really hard job but it’s one that’s always been part of our project.”
Smith added: “We finished 11th last season and we probably felt we were one or two places better than that. We left too many points out there in the back end of the season.
“Our aim is certainly to improve on 11th place and to try and get into Europe.”
The Villa boss also discussed the departure of captain Grealish, who completed a move to Manchester City on Thursday.
“It’s a huge disappointment that Jack moves on. Everybody knows what he means to this football club and I also know what he means to the fans,” Smith said.
“We want to keep our best players, but unfortunately Jack’s had a really tough decision to make. Jack will always be highly thought of by all staff and players at this football club, and I hope by the supporters as well because of what he’s given to this club.
“He will always be an Aston Villa fan and that will never change. Unfortunately we can’t provide European football for Jack at the moment. He’s going into his 26th year of his life and he understands it’s a short career and he wants to go and play at the top level. He's had a taste of it at the Euros.
"For somebody to come through our Academy and become the British record transfer, I think just shows what an exceptional talent Jack has been and will be."
He continued: “But we move on. I’m not looking to replace Jack because I don’t think you can. He’s such a unique player and a unique character.
“My job is to use the funds to actually make us a better team by bringing in more quality players and give us more depth as a team and not be as reliant on one player.”
You can watch the full interview with Dean below…
