Dion Dublin: here’s how many players Aston Villa need to sign to get European football

Aston Villa were unable to build on their positive recent form as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Villa Park on Tuesday evening.

Douglas Luiz put Villa in front after just three minutes but goals from Joel Matip and Sadio Mane turned the game on its head and sent the visitors back to Merseyside with the three points.

The result leaves Steven Gerrard’s men in 11th place with just two games left of the campaign.

Gerrard and his backroom staff have certainly made Villa stronger defensively since taking over from Dean Smith in January, and they’ve done well in steering the club away from relegation and into mid-table.

But there’s no denying that with the January signings of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne, some of the results during the second half of the season have been a little underwhelming.

Dublin says Villa need five players to challenge for European places

The Villa board have made no secret of their ambitions to break into the top six, but following the defeat against Jurgen Klopp’s side last night, former Villa striker Dion Dublin said the club will need to sign three to five new players to challenge for European football next season.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game (via the Daily Mail), he said:”I think Steven Gerrard needs a couple of transfer windows.

“Centre halves need to be better, full backs are good. 3,4,5 more players in and you can start to challenge for those Europa places, which is where Villa need to be.”

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